


Sleight of Hand

by CarlyCo



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bad Weather, F/M, Gen, Marriage Proposal, Revenge, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-16 15:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/863775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarlyCo/pseuds/CarlyCo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Donna is fired Harvey has to find a way to cope. However, everything gets turned upside down when Jessica shows her true colors. Will Harvey be able to save the people he really cares about?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Opening Gambit

Harvey Specter was a man that commanded respect and even a little fear when he walked into a room. Most of the lawyers in the city had heard of Harvey's legendary reputation in the courtroom. His win/loss rate was nothing short of impressive. He was the youngest senior partner at Pearson Hardman and there were quiet murmurs that one day his last name would be on the letterhead. More importantly, they knew of him as a closer. Many of his cases never saw the inside of a courtroom because he was just that good.

His superhuman feats often led the senior partner to be arrogant and cocksure. Harvey took pride in seeing other lawyers wither under his glare. Very few lawyers had the aptitude to best him. Even fewer had ever achieved such a feat. However, most of the lawyers he laid waste to accepted defeat and moved on.

Well, Travis Tanner was not one of those people. He had developed a reputation of his own as a torpedo. Over the last eight years, Tanner had single-handedly shredded the cases of some of the most prominent lawyers in the northeast. Therefore, when Harvey bested him…it stung.

It stung so much that he spent weeks trying to find a prestigious firm in Manhattan that would be willing to make him a partner. He needed influence and power. More importantly, Tanner needed ammunition big enough to bring Harvey to his knees.

It was something Harvey thought was impossible until a couple weeks ago. Now everything was in shambles. Jessica fired Donna and Harvey had a civil trial hanging over his head. Most law firms would have fired Harvey and let the bar association determine his fate. However, his mentor, Jessica Pearson, came roaring to his defense.

Jessica Pearson sauntered into Harvey’s office and paused to survey his distressed state. It wasn’t often that she witnessed Harvey off of his game. However, today he had fallen flat on his face in front of a large cross-section of the firm. Daniel Hardman had been quite pleased with the outcome. People were starting to doubt Jessica’s wisdom in making Harvey a senior partner.

Harvey tossed one of his prized autographed baseballs into the air but didn’t bother looking in Jessica’s direction. “How can I help you?”

“In this state? You can’t and that is why I am here Harvey. What happened during the mock trial today…”

“It was too much, Jessica. Louis was digging too deep and he went too far. I wasn’t going to sit there and let him humiliate her because of some childish grudge he has against me.”

Jessica crossed to his desk and caught the baseball in mid air to draw his attention to her.

She said, “Louis Litt has always been an exemplary lawyer. He cares for Donna and he is sick over her reaction. He never wanted to hurt her but it had to be done. The real thing is going to be far worse than what happened in there today. Your relationship with Donna will be laid bare for the court. It is the only way to explain her motives for discarding a key piece of evidence. Someone that was just your secretary would not have taken such a risk without your explicit orders. I need to know the nature of your relationship with Donna so that I am not walking into a minefield when we go to court.”

“You mean before or after you fired her and she walked out of my life for good?” asked Harvey.

Jessica glared at Harvey and waited impatiently for him to give her a real answer.

“We started dating again two months ago and now that is over, Jessica. She never wants to see me again. Are you satisfied?” asked Harvey.

This was news to Jessica. Normally, she knew everything that went on in her firm. However, it appeared that as of late she was out of the loop on many things. The biggest being Michael Ross’s fake law degree.

“Do you love her?” Jessica asked.

Harvey stared at her with hollow eyes and asked, “Would it matter? Would it change your approach?”

The older woman shook her head and said, “It is the only way to save your career and this firm. Daniel is waiting for an opportunity to pounce and we have to be damn sure we don’t play into his hands. I’m sorry that your relationship is over, but maybe this is an opportunity for both of you to start over. Donna is going to have to leave the city. No one is going to hire her after what happened. The rumors have already begun to circulate. Maybe this is the fresh start you both need.”

He swallowed visibly but didn’t respond. Harvey had not considered that other firms would blackball Donna after this. She would lose her livelihood and her reputation and he was just standing by watching it happen. Harvey was so caught up in what was happening at the firm that he wasn’t thinking about the consequences for Donna.

“Donna doesn’t deserve this. She was trying to protect this firm and me. I don’t want her dragged through the mud in open court. What can we do to avoid that, Jessica?”

She wasn’t used to Harvey coming hat in hand to her for anything. It was obvious that he wanted to shield Donna as much as possible.

“I will work something out. I have been known to work magic in the past, but you have to do something for me in return,” she replied.

Harvey asked, “What do you need from me?”

The regal woman looked out the glass doors and motioned to Donna’s empty desk.

She said, “Donna has been gone long enough. It is time for you to move on. I want you to hire a new secretary. The agency will send over qualified candidates tomorrow afternoon. All you have to do is choose Donna’s replacement.”

She placed his baseball on the desk and left the room.

When Jessica told him that she was going to fire Donna, it was like a knife to the heart. The only person that meant more to him than Jessica was Donna. She was his secretary and assistant but that woman kept his professional and personal life running like a well-oiled machine. The fiery woman had been with him for so long now it was hard working without her. It was even harder not seeing her every day.

Harvey and Donna had a connection that no one at the firm knew about but it was there. Two months ago, Harvey asked Donna out on a date and she accepted. After that first date, she worked harder just to prove that he needed her far more than she needed him.

Harvey chuckled even now at that thought. As if there could ever have been any doubt about who needed whom more. He glanced out the glass doors and sighed at the sight of Donna's empty desk. Soon someone else would fill the place at the desk.

Harvey swiveled the chair so that he could stare out at the skyline as he listened to jazz music with a glass of scotch in his hand. Generally, he wasn't the type to drink at work, but tonight he was making an exception.

Mike knocked on the door and walked into the darkened office. He placed a couple of files and some paperwork on Harvey's disheveled desk.

"Harvey, I finished the brief that you asked for. In addition, I drafted the motions for the Kane case. Is there anything else you needed me to do tonight?"

Harvey shook his head. "No."

The blond man nodded slightly and turned toward the door. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait…"

Mike turned around and asked, "Yeah?"

Mike stumbling into his interviewing suite had been fortuitous, because the young man was a top-flight associate. Harvey was able to lay off the simpler cases on the wunderkind and focus his attention on the cases that brought in the big money and notoriety. Very few lawyers could top his billable hours. He had come to depend on Mike as part of his dream team.

"Have you talked to Donna?" asked Harvey. A question had been on his mind for some time now.

The fair-haired associate nodded although Harvey couldn't see him. He was wondering if Harvey was going to ask about Donna.

"I had a late lunch with her and Rachel after what happened today during the mock trial."

"How was she?" asked Harvey.

His eyes fluttered closed waiting for Mike’s answer. Harvey regretted not going after her. It was the second time he just let her walk away.

Mike paused unsure of what to say. Donna swore him to secrecy under threat of death and castration. There was no way he could tell Harvey the truth but he also couldn’t bring himself to lie.

"Donna was doing well considering the circumstances. She is going to start looking for another job soon. You should call her, Harvey. I know what she did was wrong but…her heart was in the right place," said Mike.

The older man sat there in silence for a few moments thinking about Donna’s tear stained face.

"There is something you could do for me. I need you to conduct the interviews tomorrow for the secretary. Choose someone bright and organized."

Mike asked, "Are you sure that you want me to choose your secretary? I don't really know what you are looking for. Bright and organized are pretty vague requirements."

Harvey waved him off as if to say he was done with this conversation. He had no interest in interviewing dozens of candidates for Donna's job. He couldn't be the one to replace her.

Mike walked out of the office without another word and got onto the elevator with Rachel.

“How is he?”

“For a man that doesn’t care about anyone he is taking Donna's firing hard,” Mike replied as the elevator doors slid closed.

He was alone again but Donna was still weighing heavily on his mind.

Harvey didn't have many loyalties but he always took care of the people that worked for him. He didn't let Jessica fire Mike but somehow he'd become overwhelmed by Travis Tanner's antics and allowed Donna to be ousted from the firm.

Harvey took out his cell phone and called his trusted driver, Ray. "I am ready to leave the office now. Get here when you can, Ray."

He ended the call and finished his glass of scotch. He was going to need all of the courage he could muster. Harvey opened his laptop and started composing an e-mail. He needed to say something to Donna but he couldn't bring himself to say it face to face. The first sign of tears would force him to fold like a house of cards.

As much as he was angry with her...he could not stand the thought of Donna being angry with him. Their relationship was a strange one. Harvey was concerned that at this point there was no relationship at all.

Harvey spent a half hour typing words and erasing them because they did not fully express what was on his mind. He scowled at the screen as if his loss for words was somehow the laptop's fault.

By the time Ray rang Harvey's phone to tell him he was outside the page in front of him was still hopelessly blank.

Harvey shut down the laptop and tucked it into his briefcase before quickly exiting the office. He made his way down to Ray's town car and the comfort of its warm leather interior. Harvey handed the driver a Spinners’ CD.

Ray closed the door and then climbed into the driver's seat. Glancing back at Harvey he asked, "Where would you like me to take you, Mr. Specter?"

The younger man's eyes fluttered closed for a moment as he contemplated a number of attractive options. However, he said, "Donna’s apartment.”

 

 


	2. Even Money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey takes a risk showing up at Donna's apartment.

Tonight, like most nights since being fired, Donna was wide-awake well past midnight. Curled up on her sofa she wondered if staying in New York was the right call. Her pride refused to let her run away from her mistakes, but the ache in her heart made her want to pack up and move home.

Losing her job, she could deal with, but losing Harvey was eating at her. Each night she replayed her decisions in her head and she always hated the outcomes. If she had it to do all over again, she would make different choices, but there were no mulligans in real life.

She glanced at the bottle of wine on the coffee table that was very nearly empty. Empty bottles of wine were becoming the norm along with her insomnia.

Since being fired her family was on a non-stop campaign to get her to move home. There were e-mails, phone calls, and text messages. Her eldest niece Parker even put together a PowerPoint presentation listing the Top 10 reasons she should move back home to Rhode Island.

She had a family in Providence that loved her and wanted her there with them. Her crazy work schedule with Harvey always prevented Donna from visiting home as much as her family would like. Her nieces and nephews were growing up without her.

Donna smiled wistfully as she looked at her laptop’s background picture. It was taken years ago when Harvey and Donna first dated. Donna’s older brother, Corey, and his wife, Laura, stood shoulder to shoulder with her and Harvey. Their younger sister, Maggie, was goofing off in the background of the picture.

The memory of that day was so vivid in Donna’s mind but there was no denying that day was long ago. Maggie was a nurse now; she was married to a great man, and was the mother of two perfect little boys. Her siblings’ lives had progressed over the years but Donna felt conspicuously frozen in time.

For a brief moment it seemed like all of that might have been about to change. For two beautiful months, Harvey and Donna were dating again and it was serious. It seemed like he was finally ready to make a commitment and now it was all over. Since being fired, Donna had spoken to Harvey only once and that was today.

She sighed heavily and resigned herself to reality. They weren’t together anymore and there was no way to fix what was broken between them. It was time to move back home to Providence and start over. She flexed her fingers and began to type hoping the soft clicking of the keys would drum Harvey’s face out of her head.

Donna was working on her résumé when she heard a knock at the door. She looked at the time on her laptop and frowned. It was extremely late for someone to drop by unannounced. The good news was that criminals didn’t knock before they robbed you. The bad news was she couldn’t think of a single soul she wanted to see that late at night.

She went to the door, peered out the peephole, and gasped seeing Harvey standing on the other side of the door.

Donna was angry with him for so many reasons. She was angry because he interrupted the mock trial and embarrassed her in front of her former colleagues. She was angry because he didn’t have the decency to break up with her. Donna was angry because he didn’t have the courage to warn her that Jessica was going to fire her. Worst of all she was angry because Harvey let her walk out of Pearson Hardman the day she was fired without so much as a word. Their personal relationship deserved better…their professional relationship deserved better.

Donna stood at the door contemplating whether to open it or not. She could always pretend that she wasn't home. She didn’t owe Harvey anything at all.

"I can see your shadow under the door, Donna. I can stand out here all night if I have to."

There was a light quality to Harvey’s voice. He only sounded that way when he was drunk or very near it.

Donna rolled her eyes. "You don't have that sort of dedication. We both know you don't."

Harvey smirked. Donna knew him better than anyone else did.

He said, "True…but I'd be willing to bribe your maintenance man to unlock the door for me. I have met him. He seems the sort to do it for the right price."

She scowled at him although he could not see her face. Harvey could pretty much convince anyone to do anything. It was one of his more endearing qualities when it was used for her benefit. Right now, it was just pissing her off.

The senior partner waited in silence on the other side of the door wondering if he would really need to bribe a maintenance man. Harvey had no problem marching down to the man’s apartment and waking him up even at this hour. He needed to talk to Donna. He needed to see her. Silently, he began counting to 200.

Soon enough he heard the locks turning.

Donna opened the door to see Harvey standing there with a tired smile on his face. He looked like he'd had a rough day. His suit was rumpled more than normal and his styled hair looked as if fingers had been run through it repeatedly. She hated the automatic sense of worry that came over her. He was the enemy now. However, even in her head she knew that statement rang hollow.

Donna was angry with him. That was the way this was supposed to go. "Come in."

“I…I talked to Jessica tonight and she said something that made me think. How has your job search gone so far?” asked Harvey.

Donna raised an eyebrow feeling confused. This was not the conversation she expected to have when she decided to open the door.

“I took a little time just to figure out what I wanted to do. Actually, I was working on my resume when you knocked on the door. Why do you ask?”

He replied, “Jessica mentioned that you might have a hard time finding a job here in the city. I was hoping that didn’t turn out to be true. For now, the reason for your dismissal is private. Pearson Hardman has a strict policy about discussing current or former employees, but if people are looking for dirt, they will find it. I’m sure Hardman would be the first in line to leak information about this case.”

“Well, I guess it is a good thing that I’ve been thinking about moving back to Providence.”

Harvey felt like he had been punched in the stomach. The idea of Donna leaving New York was unacceptable in his view. New York was her home now and she belonged there with him.

“I want to give you something,” Harvey said. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a business envelope.

Donna looked at the envelope curiously and took it from him.

“What is this, Harvey?”

He said, “Open it.”

Donna opened the envelope and pulled out a personal check from Harvey. She was speechless looking at the total. Her eyes shot to Harvey’s face. “This is too much, Harvey.”

He shook his head, “It isn’t nearly enough. I didn’t fight for you and I should have.”

“Why didn’t you?” asked Donna tentatively.

Harvey pulled Donna into his arms. He pressed his lips to hers before she could say anything in protest. The smoldering kiss continued until Harvey pulled back to look into her eyes. It always struck him how the light glinted off her beautiful green eyes.

Donna caught her breath and her eyes widened looking at her former employer. "Harvey?"

Harvey continued to stare into Donna's eyes. One of his hands rested against the center of her back. The other hand slowly snaked up to caress her red tendrils. His lips hovered above Donna's as if he was debating on whether to kiss her again. Harvey settled for resting his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry."

The apology was nothing more than a whisper and if her apartment wasn't so eerily silent she might not have heard it. Donna's heart raced feeling Harvey's body pressed against hers. Being this close to him reminded her how much she missed him. She missed the way he smelled and the way his fingers could send shivers down her spine with the slightest touch.

"She wants me to replace you. She wants me to move on. I don't know how to let you go. That has never happened to me before.”

He paused and took a deep breath.

“Why?" asked Harvey.

Donna wasn't sure what he was asking. Harvey’s stripped down honesty was throwing her off balance. Donna didn't enjoy being off balance. "I don't know what you mean."

"Why didn't you just come to me when you found the memo? I would have protected you. I could have protected you at that point. Do you understand the position you put me in?"

"I thought that I needed to protect you, Harvey. I never meant to hurt you. We were so happy and I just didn’t want that to end. I saw our future slipping away and I panicked. You will get another legal secretary and life will go on. You are pragmatic enough to know that," said Donna, her voice cracked slightly.

She reached out and smoothed his hair into place for him. All the while, she tried to ignore the tears welling up in her eyes. Harvey was as miserable as she was right now. When they broke up years ago, Donna struggled to get over the loss but it was nice being able to be with him on a professional level. They were able to maintain a friendship that she loved.

Now even that was gone. No one knew Donna the way that Harvey did and no one else ever would. She would never let someone that close to her heart again. Partly out of fear of being hurt but mostly because she knew her heart belonged to Harvey.

Harvey smoothed the soft curls behind her ear and kissed her again. He felt her shiver as his lips bruised hers.

"I was wrong for not coming here to see you after you were fired. I didn’t know what to do or how to fix this. I still don’t. What I do know is that I don’t want this to be the end for us. I still care for you. I still want to be with you. I do not have the right after being so inconsiderate but….don’t move away.”

Donna’s eyes widened in shock as Harvey continued to speak. She wanted to turn him down considering everything she’d been through lately, but knew that she couldn’t.

Harvey asked, “Can I stay here tonight, Donna?”

She nodded numbly and replied, "Lock the door and meet me in my bedroom. It's in the same place it's always been."

After Harvey locked the door, he turned off all the lights and called Ray from his cell phone.

"Ray, you can go home for the night. I’m staying."

 

 


	3. Double or Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey shows why he's the best damn closer in the city.

Donna began to stir the next morning and groaned in pain. She could feel a massive headache setting in already. A queasy feeling that was threatening to send her running for the bathroom compounded that pain.

As she began to become more lucid, she opened her eyes and looked at the empty space beside her. For all his talk of reconciliation, Harvey was gone just as she knew that he would be. His career was more important than anything they could ever have together. There was no future in that and maybe now she could accept that fact. Their night together could only be described as a very long goodbye.

Donna eased up into a sitting position clutching the periwinkle Egyptian cotton sheets to her body. It was then that the scent of bacon and coffee hit her. She listened carefully and heard jazz music playing softly and pots clanging against one another in the kitchen.

She quickly slipped from the bed and pulled on a pale yellow stain robe. Either Harvey was in the kitchen cooking breakfast or there was a very unconventional burglar. Her eyes fell onto the chair where Harvey’s clothes were neatly draped.

Donna walked into the bathroom and winced seeing her bloodshot eyes. Heavy drinking and late night sex were not activities for a 40-year-old woman. She looked rough to say the least.

She grabbed a brush and hurriedly pulled it through her mussed hair. Donna wanted to look somewhat presentable when she went to the kitchen.

Grabbing the eye drops, she put a few drops into her eyes hoping to get rid of the unattractive red coloring. She brushed her teeth to get rid of the stale taste in her mouth because it was currently making her feel sicker.

Afterward Donna took her time lathering up her face and then rinsing it off. She looked in the mirror after drying her face and smiled a little. She no longer looked like death warmed over but she didn’t look her best either.

Donna tossed the towel into the hamper and walked out of the bathroom only to be greeted by Harvey Specter dressed only in his boxers briefs and carrying a breakfast tray.

He smirked, “Good morning. It looks like I have impeccable timing as always.”

She paled at the look on Harvey’s face. It was cocky but loving and it was the last thing she wanted to see. They both knew that last night was the end of things not the beginning, at least they both should know that.

“Good morning. You didn’t have to make breakfast, Harvey.”

Harvey replied, “I know that I didn’t have to make breakfast but I wanted to. Let’s eat.”

“My head is killing me, Harvey. I am going to get some aspirin and we can eat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes,” Donna offered.

He said, “You need aspirin because you have a hangover. So do I. I already found the aspirin in your medicine cabinet and I would rather have breakfast right here in your very comfortable bed. Shall we?”

Donna licked her lips. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. Instead of arguing with Harvey, she just gave a curt nod and returned to her bed. She maneuvered the abundance of pillows out of the way so that they could eat breakfast comfortably against the tufted leather headboard.

Harvey joined Donna on the bed and placed the breakfast tray in the empty space between them. He opened the bottle of aspirin and dumped a couple tablets into his palm. Harvey popped two into his mouth and offered the other two to Donna.

“You look beautiful,” said Harvey.

“I feel exhausted.”

She accepted the tablets gratefully and swallowed them down quickly. Donna would need to rid herself of this headache if she was going to have a serious conversation with Harvey. She needed to get to the bottom of what he was playing at.

Her green eyes settled onto the breakfast tray and she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her unwilling lips. On the tray, there were two cups of coffee, two glasses of orange juice, one plate with double portions of all her favorite breakfast foods, and a bowl of fresh cut fruit.

Donna picked up a glass of orange juice to wash down the aspirin. Afterward she grabbed a fork and took a bite of the scrambled eggs. Her eyes lit up a little and she asked, “You used cream cheese and chives?”

Harvey smiled while chewing a bite of toast.

“That is the way you like them, right?” asked Harvey.

She nodded slightly and went quiet. She hated that Harvey was making this more difficult for her. She liked being able to put him in easily definable categories. Before last night, he was the asshole that didn’t have the courage to break-up with her. That venom felt so far away right now, as he gazed at her lovingly over breakfast in bed.

Breakfast was a relatively silent affair. Both of them were suffering from alcohol-induced headaches and were grateful for the silence and good food.

Donna leaned back against the headboard feeling full and happy for the moment. She looked over at Harvey and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I just had breakfast with you and I was thinking that we might spend the day in bed together,” Harvey suggested with a glint in his eyes.

She gave him a puzzled look and declared, “Today is Thursday.”

He chuckled, “I’m aware of the day of the week.”

“Well, don’t you have to go to work? In fact, you are already late. It is almost 10 AM.”

“I know what time it is as well. I have taken the day off. I sent Jessica and Mike text messages last night telling them that I would be taking Thursday and Friday off.”

Donna was stunned speechless and remained so for a while. It was rare that Harvey ever took anytime off from the firm. There were years when Jessica had to insist he take time to recharge his batteries.

Harvey reached out and took Donna’s hand. “I was hoping that you would let me in last night and I would have a good reason to miss a few days. I was also prepared for you to slam the door in my face in which case I was going to get blind drunk for the entire weekend.”

She smirked, “Well, at least you had a plan, but you didn’t really believe that I would slam the door in your face.”

“If looks could kill then I would have been dead yesterday after the mock trial. I’m sorry that I stopped the mock trial. I just…I didn’t want Louis dragging our private affairs into the public light. I know that I only made it worse. Jessica asked me about our relationship last night.”

Donna tentatively asked, “What did you say?”

Harvey said, “I lied and said that it was over. At least I hoped that was a lie when I said it. There was no way to deny our relationship. My behavior at the mock trial confirmed what Jessica already suspected. She is my boss and I owe her a lot but not this…”

“What is this? I was fired two weeks ago and I haven’t heard from you or seen you until yesterday, Harvey,” said Donna.

He took a breath. He knew that this would come up at some point and he was prepared for it. However, the harsh truth was that he didn’t have a good excuse.

“It isn’t chivalrous but I was consumed with trying to save my reputation. It already took a hit because of the scandal in the District Attorney’s office. Many people still believe I was complicit in Cameron Dennis’ corruption. Something like this is a career killer, Donna. The bar association isn’t supposed to be swayed by rumors and innuendo but they are.”

“You are right…that isn’t chivalrous but at least it is honest. I know that I made the situation worse by destroying evidence, Harvey. That was never my intention and if I had it to do over again I wouldn’t make the same choice but that doesn’t change what happened,” said Donna.

He reached out and smoothed his thumb over her cheekbone. “I know that you would never do anything to intentionally harm me, Donna. I just wish that you could have come to me, but I understand why you didn’t. I know I’m an asshole for going so long without speaking to you. I don’t want to lose you, Donna. The two months before all of this happened were…”

Donna finished, “Amazing.”

He nodded in agreement.

“We are both going to have to forgive one another, Harvey, and that will take time. We can’t just go back to way things were like nothing happened,” Donna said.

Harvey said, “Then I will make time, Donna. You know what my schedule looks like but I will make the time for you.”

He got up and moved the breakfast tray to her dresser so that it would be out of their way. Afterward he began to look for something.

Donna asked, “What are you looking for?”

“I need pen and paper.”

“Why do you need pen and paper?”

Harvey shot her a look and replied, “We’re going to draw up a contract.”

She snorted, “Don’t be ridiculous, Harvey. What do we need a contract for?”

He gave her a pointed look and Donna shook her head. “There are pens and stationary in the top drawer of the desk in the living room.”

Harvey nodded with a smirk. He grabbed the breakfast tray and carried it out of the room.

Donna shook her head not understanding exactly what Harvey had in mind. She climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Now that breakfast was over and it was obvious that Harvey wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon she decided it was time for a shower and some clean clothes.

Once inside the shower Donna relaxed as the waterfall showerhead drenched her with hot water.

She emerged from the bathroom 20 minutes later with a towel wrapped around her body and freshly blow-dried hair. Donna raised an eyebrow at the sight of Harvey typing something on her laptop.

“I thought you were going to write the contract out by hand,” Donna said.

Harvey looked up with a smile, “If I am going to draw up a contract I am going to do it right. I’m finished with it now. I want you to read it over and you can add your own terms if you want.”

Donna moved onto the bed with Harvey and took the laptop so that she could read the document.

Harvey went over to Donna’s closet and was pleased to see that his duffel bag was still there. He had briefly considered that she might have discarded the bag when he was out of contact for two weeks.

While they were dating, Harvey left two suits and the duffel bag in Donna’s closet in case he ever needed to go to work from her apartment.

He collected the duffel bag and disappeared into Donna’s bathroom to shower as well. He smelled of stale sweat and scotch. It wasn’t the most attractive scent in the world. Harvey also wanted to give Donna the opportunity to read the contract on her own. If he were in the room, he would be tempted to gauge her reaction.

Harvey lathered his hair up with shampoo and tried not to think about Donna’s decision. There was a possibility that she would send him packing. He wouldn’t blame her if that was the decision.

He had been so out of his element that he didn’t even see Donna’s firing on the horizon until Jessica informed him. Somehow, he was blindsided by everything. He still struggled to understand how Donna could have missed the internal memo to begin with. She wasn’t infallible but that was a crucial mistake that Donna had never made in the past.

In the end he felt cowed by Jessica’s rush to his defense. He couldn’t very well fight for Donna’s job when Jessica was putting everything on the line to fight for his.

Harvey knew the risk that Jessica was taking standing by him through all of this. He did not have any leverage in the situation and wasn’t prepared for how much it would hurt to let Donna down.

Jessica would be putting on the case of her life to save Harvey and the firm. He owed that woman a lot. She had shepherded his career from the very beginning. Jessica put up with Harvey's smug attitude and risky antics. Now she was betting everything she'd built on him.

Daniel Hardman was salivating at the idea of usurping Jessica and regaining his rightful position in the firm. Winning Harvey’s case was a necessity. She would surely be voted out by the senior partners if the man she chose to join their ranks was disbarred and cost the firm millions of dollars.

Harvey knew that he was playing with fire by trying to save his relationship with Donna. Jessica wanted this entanglement to be over with even if she had not verbalized it. He just couldn’t bring himself to make that kind of sacrifice not even for Jessica.

He wasn’t sure that he could ever settle down and marry a woman but he always assumed that if he could…it would be Donna.

After the shower and his morning grooming ritual Harvey walked out of the bathroom wearing a pair of dark denim jeans and a navy blue v-neck shirt that clung to his chest and muscled arms.

He smiled seeing that Donna was dressed as well and was in the process of changing the linens on the bed. Harvey moved to help her. “What did you think of the contract?”

Donna paused as she smoothed out the duvet. She said, “I am worried that you aren’t going to be able to maintain what you’ve set up in the contract. I don’t want you to set this relationship up for failure.”

Harvey rounded the bed so that he was standing behind Donna. He pulled her into his arms. “You know I like a challenge…”


	4. Raising the Stakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike comes in to save the day. What would Harvey do without the best damn associate in the city?

Harvey liked to believe that he was the most self-sufficient person on Earth. He was a smooth talking lawyer that commanded respect by being the best at what he did. His success and quickly rising star meant he didn't have time for serious relationships. In truth, for a long time he did not want a serious relationship.

Harvey genuinely believed that you could not have it all. You could be great at work and have a shitty home life or you could have a great home life and be shitty at work. This was an either/or situation. Not Both. So years ago Harvey decided to dedicate his time to the one thing that truly mattered to him…his career.

Somehow, over the years he had began to believe his own persona. Nearly losing Donna had brought reality crashing down onto him. He was not invincible. Most importantly, he did need someone in his life. The comfort and care he received from Donna had long since taken care of his need for a relationship. He got his love from Donna and sex from whatever short skirt he met at the bar. That all changed when they decided to try make their relationship work one last time.

It had been seven weeks since Donna and Harvey signed their relationship contract. Harvey went out of his way to keep up his end of the bargain and for the time being Donna had given up on the idea of returning to Rhode Island. Their relationship was solid and they were both happy. That always seemed like a recipe for disaster for the two of them.

The civil trial was quickly approaching and Harvey was slowly losing himself. His relationship with Donna was stronger than ever but there was something threatening their happiness. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about it and the lies were starting to eat at him. Only the people close to him at Pearson Hardman like Jessica and Mike could see that he was unraveling. He could hide it from everyone else for now.

Mike had been working over time, with Rachel's help, to cover for Harvey. So far, the man had not made any mistakes that were irreversible but the associate realized that there would come a time when he could not pull Harvey's ass out of the fire.

Mike walked up to the dark sedan parked in front of an upscale Manhattan restaurant.

Ray climbed out of the car and said, "I am sorry for calling you down here, Mr. Ross, but Mr. Specter has been in there since 5:00. I am starting to get worried about him. I've tried talking to him but…"

The associate checked his watch and his brows furrowed. It was now midnight.

"Thank you for calling me, Ray. I am going to go in and see if I have better luck."

Mike walked into the restaurant and his eyes scanned the room. He saw Harvey slumped over in a booth toward the back of the restaurant. There were several empty glasses scattered across the table in front of him.

The fair-haired associate slid into the booth across from his boss and asked, "Planning on dying of liver cirrhosis?"

Harvey smoothed down his slightly mussed hair and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Ray called me."

"He shouldn't have done that. I'll leave when I am ready and not a second before," grumbled Harvey.

He picked up the half-empty glass of scotch in front of him and gulped the last of the amber colored liquid.

"Harvey, I didn't say anything before now because I didn't think that it was my place…"

The senior partner shot a withering glare at Mike Ross. He was in no mood to be lectured by an associate. He definitely did not want to be lectured by one that looked as if he had not yet gone through puberty.

"You should always follow your first mind. Keeping your mouth shut might be good for you in this case."

Mike huffed and lowered his voice as he said, "Harvey, I have been covering your ass for three weeks now. Rachel and I have been doing a lot of your work on top of ours. This little house of cards we have going is going to collapse at some point and no matter how much Jessica likes you…she is going to fire you."

A sarcastic chuckle rumbled out of Harvey's chest. The expression on his face was cold and his eyes were expressionless.

"Oh, that is right. If Jessica has to fire me then you will be out on your ** _ass_** , too. Being a fake lawyer tends not to last very long."

Hurt and shocked registered in Mike’s eyes. However, he quickly recovered.

"You think this is about a job? I have stumbled a lot in my life. I always get back up, Harvey. I care about what happens to you. I don't like what I see this doing to you. I don't have anything to lose. I don't have a license. If this all blows up in my face, I can move on and do something else. Law is your livelihood. If you are disbarred that is it for you, Harvey. Game over. So get your head out of your ass and tell me how to help you!"

The lawyer eyed Mike for a long time as if to take appraisal of the younger man. Only in rare moments had he ever stood up to Harvey and never with this type of veracity. Even in his drunken state, he realized that Mike was worried about him.

Mike jumped on Harvey's silence. He couldn't read his facial expression but he could only hope he was getting through the haze of alcohol.

"You've been slowly rolling out of control for weeks now, but this week you've been much worse. What changed, Harvey?"

That was a good question. What had changed in the last few weeks? Why was Harvey so hell bent on self-destruction right now? It wasn't something he had given much thought to prior to now.

Everything changed two weeks ago when Jessica summoned him to her office. The hearings for his case would begin soon and as such Jessica, Daniel, and Harvey began finalizing their strategy for the civil lawsuit.

At this early morning meeting, Jessica and Daniel informed Harvey that he would be getting on the stand. They expected him to testify that Donna destroyed the memo without his knowledge. Throwing her under the bus was the only way to save Harvey and the firm.

To make matters worse Daniel Hardman was in the process of talking to a friend in the D.A.'s office. He was working under the theory that it would look better for Harvey and the firm if Donna was under indictment before Harvey's case was underway.

At first, Harvey had balked at the idea. It was bad enough that Donna was fired because of all of this. There was no way that he could testify against her.

Tanner was out for blood and Harvey had very few friends left in the District Attorney’s office. Daniel’s plan was for the assistant district attorney to use Harvey’s sworn testimony to indict Donna on evidence tampering charges. Undoubtedly, the victim’s widow would pursue a civil case against her as well.  

Evidence tampering was a Class E felony in the state of New York but that was nothing to sniff at. Donna could face anywhere from one to four years in a women's prison. He could not let that happen to her.

He was angry that she put him in this position. Harvey was angry that her fearful actions had put both of them in the line of fire. Despite all of that anger, he couldn't imagine a situation where he'd willing do anything to harm Donna. He had told Jessica and Daniel as much that morning.

It was then that Jessica dropped the hammer. If Harvey didn't testify that Donna destroyed the evidence without his knowledge the firm would be forced to cut him loose. He was too great a liability to keep on. Mike would be summarily dismissed as well. Lastly, they would sue Harvey and Donna for the damage done to Pearson Hardman’s reputation.

Jessica cared deeply for Harvey and didn't want to sue him or Donna. She just needed to make this lawsuit go away before it sank her firm. Jessica Pearson had worked too hard and for too long to watch it all crumble now. She was already paranoid that Hardman was looking for a way to dethrone her. This trial was giving him all the ammunition he would need.

"Harvey? Where'd you go just now?" asked Mike.

"Jessica wants to me testify that Donna destroyed the internal memo. If I don't I am out of the door and so are you. Then she will sue Donna and me. I'm not worried about myself but if Jessica goes after Donna…she won't stop until that cupboard is bare," said Harvey.

Mike's jaw dropped slightly. He knew Jessica was ruthless but this was a stretch even for her. There was no reason to make Harvey testify about what happened to the memo. He could just as easily testify that he had never seen the item and had nothing to do with burying it. That skated the lines of perjury but did not cross it.

"Now you know why I've been here all evening."

Mike sat there in thought for a moment. "You once told me that if someone has a gun to your head you still have a choice. You can take the gun and point it back at them. Take the gun, Harvey. You have known Jessica long enough to know where the bodies are buried. Hardman stole from his clients and his firm. That cannot be the only damning secret he was hiding. Let's unbury some bodies. And I’m not positive that I believe that memo was real. That one memo just happens to slip by Donna? I think we need to look into. We are already on the losing end. If we are both facing termination what more do we have to lose. In the meantime…stall."

Harvey chuckled. It appeared that his associate was learning even if he had the look of a teenager. It was true Harvey did know a lot about Jessica and some of the shadier things she did before and after Daniel was ousted from the firm. However, that was his hole card. If he didn't play it at precisely the right time in the right way it would blow up in his face. Having Jessica at the helm of Pearson Hardman was better than having Daniel running the show. Just blackmailing Jessica would not be enough. He needed information on Daniel Hardman and that wouldn’t be easy. However, something rang true about what Mike said. Harvey had a hard time believing that memo ever crossed Donna’s desk. In fact, it was all a little too convenient for Tanner and Hardman.

His eyes flicked back to Mike. "Stall how, Junior? I need time to get a strategy in place. Jessica won't wait much longer for my answer."

"Then tell her that you will testify and at the same time head her off at the pass. The case doesn't see the inside of a court room for another month. Go through the motions and get together every piece of information that you have. Tanner gets to present his case first. Jessica will be waiting in the wings for her chance."

"Tanner already has Donna on his witness list. She'll have to testify," said Harvey.

Mike leaned in and said, "Then you tell her to lie her ass off or plead the 5th. Donna was an amazing actor when she was part of the mock trials. I bet that she could be Oscar worthy if she is trying to save her life and yours."

Harvey hissed, "I can't knowingly suborn perjury. Jessica will know that I know the truth and pleading the 5th makes you look like you have something to hide. In this case we do. If the jury hears that they will take it as an admission of guilt."

Mike fell silent. Harvey didn't need any other ethical charges against him. The younger man began to smirk as an idea hit him.

The senior partner quirked an eyebrow and cautiously asked, "What are you thinking?"

The associate started chuckling and caught the attention of a waiter.

"Two glasses of Macallan. Make it a 25 year old if you have it…we’re celebrating,” Mike said.

Harvey smirked, "I didn't think that you drank scotch. You seem more the strawberry daiquiri type."

"Normally, I just drink beer but I'll make an exception for the best damn strategy I've ever had," said Mike.

Harvey shook his head at the younger man's smug attitude. The kid was more like him than he liked at the moment.

"Well, out with it. Don't keep me waiting."

The waiter returned with their drinks only a few minutes later since the restaurant was essentially empty.

Mike tipped his glass at Harvey and took a gulp. He coughed and groaned, "Smooth."

Harvey genuinely laughed and said, "That is what you get for keeping me waiting."

"All you have to do is marry Donna. It is a cliché but effective. You do not have to testify against her and she does not have to testify against you. The only people that could testify to what happened are Jessica and Daniel, but they have no way to prove anything. Everything they know is hearsay and is not admissible in court. Donna never confessed to either one of them. While Jessica, Hardman, and Tanner are scrounging for a new strategy we find something to make them all back off.”

Harvey choked on the scotch not because of the strength but because of Mike's suggestion.

"That is the most idiotic…."

It took his booze-addled mind a while to work out what Mike was saying to him. Marrying Donna wasn't a permanent solution. Getting the dirt against Jessica and Daniel was the permanent solution. However, being unable to testify against Donna gave him time to put everything together. It was the only way to protect her.

He looked to Mike and said, "You know that Jessica could decide to fire the both of us on the spot."

Mike nodded and said, "I know, but friends don't let friends get steamrolled to save their own ass. I'll find another job. Push comes to shove I'll go back to taking the LSAT for people. I'm really good at that. Or maybe I could go the legal route and teach a LSAT prep class."

Harvey clumsily reached into his pocket and removed his cell phone. He scrolled through his contacts and picked one.

"Buona sera, Francesco. I know that it is late but I am calling in that favor that you owe me. I need a size 6 engagement ring tonight. Preferably in the next 30 to 45 minutes.”

The young associate looked on awe-struck as Harvey wheeled and dealed over the phone. Only the best damn closer in the city could call a jeweler in the middle of the night to order an engagement ring.

When Harvey finished his call, he took out his wallet and left money on the table for their drinks and a truly impressive tip.

"Let's go, Rookie."

Mike scrambled out of the booth. Harvey was a man on a mission and he wasn't likely to wait on the younger man to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"

Harvey called over his shoulder, "We’re going to the diamond district."


	5. Spread Betting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey presents his argument but he may be unable to change Donna's mind.

Around 4 AM Harvey was seated in the back of the dark Sedan as it flew through the darkened streets of Manhattan. He strummed his fingers against the leather interior trying to figure out the right words to say to Donna. No woman relished a marriage of convenience but Donna was a practical woman. She would have to see that getting married was the perfect solution for their rather messy situation.

Harvey snorted arrogantly as it was a situation that Donna orchestrated. Almost immediately, his arrogance was replaced with sadness. She only found herself in that position because of him. Harvey knew that there was no one in the world that Donna would risk her job and freedom for other than him.

He glanced at his watch and frowned at the time. It was an ungodly hour to show up at someone's home to propose marriage. He would have been at her apartment ages ago if it weren't for Ray and Mike advising that he needed a shower, a shave, and a change of clothes.

After looking himself over in the mirror at his apartment, he had to agree with their assessment. Sitting in a bar all night made even the impeccably dressed Harvey Specter look slovenly.

As Ray rounded a corner, he pulled to a stop in what appeared to be the Flower District.

Harvey glanced out of the window and quirked an inquisitive eyebrow at Ray in the rearview mirror. "Where are we?"

Mike said, "West 28th."

The older man grumbled in frustration. "I'll try again. Why are we here?"

"Because if you’ve been as grumpy with Donna as you have been at work these last few weeks you are going to need more than a pretty smile to get through that apartment door," said Mike.

Harvey just smirked thinking back to the night he'd showed up at Donna's apartment. However, that night wasn't anyone's business. It was between Harvey and Donna and that was just fine with him.

The younger man hopped out of the car without further explanation and rushed over to a set of doors. A moment later the door opened and a fresh cut bouquet of calla lilies were thrust into his hands. Mike handed the impatient hand several crisp bills and returned to the car.

"What was that?" asked Harvey.

"You aren't the only one that knows people, Harvey. Rachel has a friend that works here at the wholesaler. They sell flowers to florists, designers, and vendors in the city. They don't open for another hour but the woman was kind enough to help Rachel out."

"Rachel?" Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Don't say her name that way. Rachel is the only reason I've been able to cover your ass while you've been taking your 'sabbatical'. Besides she wants to help Donna as much as I do," said Mike.

He refused to betray Rachel's confidence but he knew for a fact that Donna was taking Harvey’s shift in personality about as well as he was handling Jessica’s ultimatum. The associate and paralegal were pulling double duty trying to keep the twosome from imploding.

Harvey asked, "How much does she know about this situation?"

"She knows enough, Harvey. Rachel wouldn't do anything to hurt Donna. She isn't as petty as everyone you seem to associate with. I trust Rachel almost as much as I trust you and Donna."

At that point, the associate turned his attention to the scenery passing by his window. He didn't want to get into an elongated conversation about just how much Rachel was privy to. Mike had long since gone against Harvey's wishes. He had resigned himself to telling Rachel to truth about his fraud weeks ago. Mike just didn’t have the courage to tell Harvey.

The ride to Donna's apartment building was a silent one. It was broken only when Ray opened Harvey's door and said, "Good luck, Mr. Specter."

Mike handed Harvey the flowers and said, "Good luck."

His lips twitched into a half-smile. "I don't need luck. I am the best damn closer this city has ever seen."

Harvey walked into the building and took the elevator up to Donna's floor. He smoothed at his hair nervously. Despite his bravado at the car, the man was more than a little nervous. All too soon, the elevator dinged softly signaling that he was at his desired floor.

He took a breath and then made his way down the hall to Donna's apartment. Harvey knocked on the door and waited for her to answer.

Donna was sound asleep in her bed. She had made it home only a few hours ago. Rachel had insisted that she leave the apartment. The two women went out for drinks at a popular new club. Donna had a miserable time but stayed with Rachel until last call. It was only the polite thing to do. She knew that Rachel was going out of her way to be a friend.

The red head groaned tiredly hearing someone knocking at her door. At first, she thought it was a dream. No one would be foolish enough to show up at her apartment before dawn. However, the knocking became louder and more insistent.

Finally, she heard Harvey's voice.

"Donna!"

Her eyes shot open in shock and she sat up in bed wondering why Harvey would be at her apartment at…she looked at the clock and rolled her eyes.

"4:30 in the morning?"

Donna climbed out of the bed and quickly made her way to the door. The last thing she needed was Harvey waking up her pissy next-door neighbor. The 60 year-old retired accountant was not a very pleasant person during the daytime. She did not intend to sample his personality before dawn.

Harvey raised his hand to knock again when Donna flung open the front door with an angry scowl on her face. He took in her appearance with a small smirk.

Donna's long hair was a mess. It appeared as if she hadn't bothered to wash the make up from her face. To top it off she was wearing the button up Yankees' jersey he had bought her years ago.

Harvey thrust the bundle of calla lilies toward Donna. "These are for you."

His former secretary and current girlfriend smoothed her wild hair into place and accepted the flowers. "Thank you?" asked Donna confused.

"Can I come in?"

Harvey didn't wait for an answer as he walked into the apartment.

Donna closed the door and locked it. She eyed him cautiously and asked, "What are you doing here, Harvey?"

The well-dressed man was walking through her apartment looking around. He'd spent a lot of time there in the last two months. However, it appeared over his weeklong absence she had begun packing her belongings.

"Going somewhere?"

She walked into the kitchen, which was open to the living area, and grabbed a vase from the cupboard. She tsked slightly.

"I asked you a question first. What are you doing here?"

Harvey walked over to the island and watched her unwrap the flowers. "I am here to see you."

Donna rolled her eyes at his avoidance of her question and placed the flowers in the vase. "Why are you here to see me at 4 in the blessed morning? Is there something wrong, Harvey?"

"Ah…that is a second and third question when you have not answered my first question," said Harvey.

He always found himself amusing but never more so than when he'd had one too many drinks.

The red head scowled at him and said, "I was let go from Pearson Hardman. Although no one knows why I was canned...no one will touch me. I have been burned in this city. I am not going to find another job here. I have received a few offers but it came with the non-verbal condition that I spill everything I know about the going-ons at the firm. I have never talked out of school. I am not about to start now. And the boyfriend that I decided to stay in this city for has been acting like a complete ass lately."

He was beginning to wonder if that check he'd given her was enough money. "Do you need more money? Because I can..."

She quickly silenced him with a headshake. "I don't need you to support me, Harvey. It is just time that I moved on. We tried to make this relationship work and it just didn’t."

The normally quick-witted lawyer had nothing to say in reply. He was dumbfounded by the idea of Donna leaving New York and him.

Donna busied herself with starting the coffee maker. "Are you going to tell me what inspired this predawn visit? When I haven't heard from you in a week?"

She tried not to sound bitter. However, his abrupt disappearance from her life this week had been painful. Since drafting their relationship contract Harvey stopped by her place a couple nights a week with a movie, take-out, or just a desire to see her in the nude. On the weekends, he stayed the night and they went out for dinner or caught a show on Broadway.

Harvey realized his disappearance was yet another way he had let Donna down. The truth was he was avoiding seeing Donna and had been since Jessica told him in no uncertain terms that he would have to testify against her.

"I need to talk to you about something that can't wait. We have problems."

Her eyes shot to Harvey when he uttered 'we'. Donna couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to dump her for a second time. She was mentally preparing to read him the riot act for stringing her along.

"Maybe we could sit down and talk?" asked Harvey.

Donna nodded almost numbly and followed him into her comfortably decorated living room. The furniture was high end but it exuded comfort and warmth. She had a seat on the green colored tufted sofa.

Harvey had a seat in a chair adjacent to the sofa. He was mentally estimating if he could kneel in the empty space between the two. Unfortunately, too much alcohol was impairing his spatial judgment.

"I know my area rug is particularly beautiful but I assume that you did not come here to stare at it?"

Harvey shot her a disapproving glare before sitting back in the chair comfortably. "I'm sorry that I let Jessica fire you. I didn't know what else to do in the situation and I've always trusted her to have my best interest at heart. Well, she doesn't. I'm sorry I've been out of contact for the last week. I've had a lot going on and I was scared that I would just hurt you all over again. I don't want to do that. You don't deserve that."

"Harvey, you don't have to explain I…"

He cut her off. "Let me finish…please."

Donna sat back on the couch and placed her folded hands on her lap.

"I've always believed that Jessica had my best interest at heart. Until. Now. Daniel coming back to the firm has put her in survival mode. She is pushing for things that normally she would not. Like telling me that I have to testify in my own case and implicate you in destroying the evidence. Jessica is supporting Daniel's decision to bring in the district attorney. You will be charged with evidence tampering."

The red-head's eyes watered and she slowly started to wring her hands. The knot growing in her stomach informed Donna that she was about to throw up. She rushed from the room without a word and barricaded herself in the bathroom.

Harvey was caught off guard by the sudden movement and didn't know what was going on until he heard retching coming from the bathroom down the hall. He ran a nervous hand over his slick hair and hoped that his next piece of news would be met with a better response.

The senior partner waited patiently for nearly 30 minutes before Donna reemerged from the bathroom. Harvey had helped himself to a cup of coffee in her absence.

Donna walked into the living room wearing an ivory colored satin robe. Apparently, his former secretary had taken the opportunity to shower and brush her teeth. She frowned.

"I thought that you would be gone by now. Why are you still here, Harvey?"

"I am not going to let Jessica and Daniel railroad you into prison or at the very least a conviction on your permanent record. You made a mistake but both of them have committed worse crimes at Pearson Hardman…for far more selfish reasons. If they want to play hardball…I'll play. And I'll win. However, I need to time to get all of my ducks in a row. In the meantime I came up with a solution."

Harvey got down on one knee in front of Donna and opened a cherry wood ring box. Inside was a white gold engagement ring. The main stone was a 2-carat cushion cut diamond with bead set diamonds adorning the sides. "Donna Paulsen, will you marry me?"

Dona blinked in disbelief and stood there in silence.

Harvey swallowed nervously. He never thought he'd get married but he always assumed that if he did propose to someone it wouldn't be met with absolute silence. He watched as his former secretary sat on the couch and buried her head in her hands.

He stood up from the floor and smoothed down his rumpled suit. Sitting down on the coffee table, he gently pried Donna's hands away from her face.

"You are making me very nervous. I don't think you've been this quiet in the whole of the time we've known one another. I know that you don't want to marry me and that you don't feel that way about me. But this is the only way to stop either one of us from being compelled to testify against the other. This is the only way I know how to protect you short of quitting the firm. And I don't know if that would stop Jessica and Daniel. She’s threatened to come after me too."

Donna sniffled and shook her head. "You've never been particularly perceptive when it comes to women."

He opened his mouth to argue.

"I don't mean the vapid playthings you take home on a weekly basis. Their motives are transparent. Either they want to sleep with you or they want your money," said Donna. She wiped at the tears staining her cheeks. Donna took the ring box and looked at the impressive ring. Harvey did have impeccable taste.

Harvey removed the handkerchief from his suit and offered it to Donna. "I feel like I am missing something and I don't know what it is. Help me out here."

Donna gratefully accepted the handkerchief and dried her eyes. "I love you, Harvey. I never stopped. I didn't know how. There was a time when I thought about what it'd be like to be your wife. None of the scenarios included avoiding prosecution. I don't want to live a lie. I don't want you forced into something fake just to save me. I won't do it."

She closed the ring box and handed it to Harvey.

He sighed and set his jaw. "You don't have a choice. You can marry me or you can go to prison. I am not going to let you go to prison. Not for a day. I love you too. I never thought I would get married but if I am going to be married to anyone…I’d want it to be you.”

“You’ll hate me when this is all over,” she whispered.

Harvey pressed a gentle kiss to her tear soaked cheek. “I could never hate you, Donna. Will you be my wife?”

Donna nodded reluctantly. She didn’t see another way out of her situation.

He took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her ring finger. “I’ll put a call into a friend of mine. We’ll be married before the week is out.”

 

 


	6. Breaking the Bank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding bells or a prison cell? What will Donna decide?

Donna Paulsen was a woman that struck fear into the hearts of the most successful lawyers at Pearson Hardman. She did so with witty remarks and icy glares. The red head was utterly in control of the world she lived in and that suited her just fine. Well, she was in control until she made a damning mistake worse. Now her world was swirling out of control and she had no clue how to stop it.

It all started when Travis Tanner's law firm decided to lodge a fraud complaint against Harvey in a case he had litigated years ago. The life or death of this fraud case hinged on whether or not Pearson Hardman received an internal memo from a car manufacturer. The memo noted a defect that could be deadly and that ultimately caused the fatal car crash.

Harvey had never seen such a memo. The man had scruples and morals unlike most lawyers in New York. He ordered Donna to sift through all of the files associated with the case to confirm what he already knew...he had never received such a document and Travis Tanner had fabricated the entire thing.

Only that was not what happened. Donna spent hours poring over boxes of useless files until she stumbled across the memo in question. At the top of the paper was the Pearson Hardman ‘received’ stamp with the date and her signature.

Donna was the person that screwed up and didn't pass the internal document on to Harvey. She was the one that was going to cost a man she loved dearly his career. Donna panicked and destroyed the document on the spot. Now she sat in the courthouse awaiting her fate.

The normally stone-faced woman struggled to keep her tears at bay as she sat in the corridor of the courthouse. People hurriedly walked up and down the narrow passageway as if today was any other day. No one seemed to realize that a life-changing occasion was only moments away.

At any moment, the large double doors in front of her would swing open and Donna's life would change forever.

"Donna."

She stiffened involuntarily and looked up seeing Harvey Specter standing at her side. He was running late but she knew he would come. Harvey had to be there…even if he did not want to be.

Donna averted her eyes hating the way she felt under his wounded gaze. "We still have a few minutes."

Harvey's heart ached hearing the way her voice quaked. He could see the pain she was in and yet he could not find the strength to comfort her. Both of their lives were on a collision course. He had no way of knowing if this scheme would work.

Donna was his trusted confidant and she had betrayed that trust by destroying the internal memo. He knew that she did it for him. His reputation was hanging on by a thread because of some misdeeds his former boss committed at the DA's office. Harvey was innocent but as the old saying goes, if you lie down with dogs you get fleas. Right now Harvey was flea ridden.

This newest fraud complaint was doing nothing to rebuild his credibility. Moreover, Donna’s impulsive decision to destroy evidence left Harvey and the firm open to a huge lawsuit and harsh bar sanctions.

Harvey, Jessica, and Daniel had discussed the best strategy to keep the wolves at bay. However, that strategy would put Donna in jail and possibly leave her open to a massive lawsuit. Hardman was salivating at the opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to Harvey and Jessica.

The double doors opened and a young woman in a navy blue skirt suit stepped into the hallway. "He is ready for you now."

Donna sucked in a deep breath and stood up. Her knees almost instantly felt weak. She would have to face the music for what she did but losing Harvey was the thing that scared her more than anything. Donna refused to look in his direction. She was too scared of what she might see.   
Donna silently made her way into the judge's chambers and stood in front of his oversized mahogany desk.

Harvey walked in and shook the man's hand. "Your Honor, thank you for seeing us today. I am sure that your schedule is packed this time of year."

Judge Arthur Cohen smiled. "I always have time for the son of an old friend. Your old man would be proud of everything you have accomplished, Harvey. Are we ready to begin?"

Harvey glanced in Donna's direction and then looked back to Arthur.

"There is no time like the present."

Arthur moved back around his desk and said, "Well, then we can get started."

Harvey took his place next to Donna. 

"We are gathered here today to join you in marriage and to share in this occasion, which is one of the most memorable and happy days of your life. I remember when I married my Ruth 40 years ago. It was the most important thing that ever happened to me because I knew from that day forward I would never be alone. I knew that I would have a partner in the world that I could share everything with and that in turn would share everything with me. I knew that whatever happiness or joy I had in life she would play an integral part. As you stand here today know that there is a bond between husband and wife that cannot be replicated."

Tears began to slip down Donna's face as she listened to the judge wax poetic about the virtues of marriage. They were heartfelt and that made her feel even worse. Those words made her fraud seem even more damning.

"On this day of your marriage the two of you begin a journey as one. Your triumphs as well as your failures are now shared. A comfort comes with knowing that you are no longer alone. Being assured that you are aware of the meaning of this ceremony, I will now ask you to repeat the marriage vows. Do you, Harvey Specter, take this woman, Donna Paulsen, to be your lawful wedded wife, to love, honor, and cherish her through sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," said Harvey.

"Then place this ring on her finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed, and forever pledge my devotion," said Arthur.

"With this ring, I thee wed, and forever pledge my devotion."

Harvey fished a platinum wedding band out of his pocket and turned to Donna for the first time since the ceremony started. His heart broke seeing the tears streaming down her face. He knew that they were not tears of joy. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Even in his anger, Harvey could see how beautiful she looked. Her beautiful red hair was curly and framed her face. She was wearing an emerald green sheath dress and now a wedding band.

Arthur said, "Do you, Donna Paulsen, take this man, Harvey Specter, to be your lawful wedded husband, to love, honor, and cherish him through sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Donna sniffled and said, "I do."

"Then place this ring on his finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed, and forever pledge my devotion."

She took a deep breath and reached out with shaking hands to place a matching platinum band on Harvey's finger.

Her voice cracked as she said, “With this ring, I thee wed, and forever pledge my devotion.”

Arthur beamed, "Please join hands."

Donna looked at Harvey but didn't reach for his hand. She couldn't imagine that he relished the idea of touching her at the moment.

Harvey reached out, took Donna’s hand in his, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"By the power vested in me by the state of New York I now pronounce you husband and wife. I wish you two many happy years and the strength to weather the unhappy ones. You may now kiss the bride."

Harvey reached out, cupped Donna’s trembling chin, and placed a tender kiss on her lips. Harvey retrieved his handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Donna.

He walked to the side of the desk and shook Arthur's hand. "Thank you for marrying us today."

"Who could ever refuse Harvey Specter? Besides, I figured that any woman that has managed to get you to commit to her has to be someone very special. I see that I was right."

After Donna finished drying her eyes, she joined Harvey and the judge’s desk. "Thank you, Judge Cohen. It was a truly lovely ceremony."

"You are quite welcome. I just need the two of you to sign the marriage license. Suzette will be your witness," said Arthur.

Harvey was the first to pick up the pen and sign his name. He passed it to Donna.

The normally steadfast woman's hand shook as she signed her name.

Harvey glanced at his watch. "We really must be going. I am sure you have another appointment coming in soon."

"Right you are, Harvey. I know how much you love to work...but you might consider taking the day with your bride."

Harvey chuckled, "I was planning to do just that."

The twosome exited the judge’s chambers.

Donna walked away from Harvey without a word and made a mad dash toward the street. She frantically searched the busy intersection for a taxi.

The newlywed huffed in frustration that she saw none. Donna was beginning to consider just walking to the subway, but that would be no easy feat in her heels.

However, a moment later she saw the ubiquitous yellow vehicle headed in her direction. She flailed slightly to get the driver’s attention. There was no time to be dainty or graceful. She just wanted to get away from the courthouse, Harvey, and their sham marriage. 

The driver maneuvered across traffic to come to a stop in front of Donna.

Harvey descended the stairs two at a time and came to a stop behind Donna. He eyed her curiously and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I’m going home, Harvey. We’re married now. You don’t have to testify against me. Thank you."

She opened the cab door and moved to climb inside.

"Ray is bringing the car around now. We can leave together," said Harvey.

Donna shook her head and sighed, "I'd rather get home on my own, Harvey."

He nodded slightly and leaned into the passenger window. Harvey smiled and handed the man $50. "The lady won't need a cab."

Harvey pushed the door closed and hit the roof indicating that the man should drive off.

Donna scowled as the cab drove away but didn't say anything. She was dealing with too many emotions right now. If she opened her mouth to say anything there was no telling what she might say to Harvey.

A moment later Ray pulled up to the curb and walked around opening the door for them. "Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Specter."

"Thank you, Ray. That is very kind of you."

Donna climbed into the car and refused to scoot over for Harvey.

Harvey shook his head and let Ray know that it was okay. He closed the door, walked around to the other side of the car, and climbed in with Donna.

Soon enough Ray was merging into traffic and the raspy voice of Nina Simone filtered through the car’s speakers.

After 20 minutes, Donna realized that they were driving out of the city and she finally asked, "Where are we going?"

"We’re going to my house in the Hamptons for the week,” Harvey replied.

“We’re going to the Hamptons for a week? What are you going to do about work? What about Jessica and Hardman?” 

Harvey offered a genuine smile and replied, “I’ve more than earned some time off. I told Jessica last night that I would be out of communication for the next 10 days.”  
Donna scoffed, “What did she have to say about that?”

“I wouldn’t know. I left the message on her voicemail and I don’t seem to have my phone with me today. I suppose I will find out when I return from my honeymoon,” said Harvey.

She tried to figure out if Harvey was being serious or not. They both knew this was a marriage of necessity and not love but there was something in his expression that seemed genuinely happy.

“Harvey, a fake honeymoon isn’t necessary. You’ve already done more for me than I have a right to ask. I appreciate the effort to keep me out of prison but there is no need to do anything more than that,” said Donna.

He sighed and said, “I married you because I love you.”

“And you don’t want me to go to prison,” Donna supplied.

“No, I don’t want you to go to prison but…”

She interrupted, “If this situation had not come up we wouldn’t be married right now so please stop pretending that you are okay with this because I know that you’re not.”

Harvey’s jaw tightened and he said, “I married you because I love you. Do not interrupt me.”

Donna’s mouth snapped shut and she folded her arms across her chest like a petulant child.

“I will not lie to you and say that I was planning to marry you before all of this happened because I wasn’t. Our relationship was still new and I was content with what we had for now, but I always knew that wasn’t going to be enough. Donna we broke up the first time around because I didn’t think I could give you the life you deserved. I didn’t want a wife or a family. I was so sure I would screw it all up because of my career,” Harvey explained.

Donna looked shell-shocked but waited patiently for him to continue.

“When we started dating this time I knew that I wanted more than just a girlfriend. I wanted something more permanent. I was expecting that to happen a couple years down the line but I was still expecting it to happen. We are married now and that is all that matters. I, for one, intend to make the best of it and I hope you will do the same.”

Donna bit her lip for a moment and said, “I’ve never been to your house in the Hamptons. Why is that?”

Harvey chuckled and said, “No one has ever been there including me. Well, I went once when I bought it. I haven’t been back because I don’t take any time off work.”

She reached over and took his hand, “We’re really married now. If this doesn’t work out it is going to get messy and we didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement. I will take you to the cleaners.”

“That’s funny,” said Harvey.

“You shouldn’t think that it is funny. I am serious. I am sure Louis would revel in helping me knock you down a peg or two in the divorce proceedings.”

He smirked, “No, I meant that it was funny that you think I am going to let you divorce me. You will be Mrs. Harvey Specter until we are old, gray, and living in Milan.”

“Milan?”

Harvey suggested, “Follonica? I have always thought I would retire somewhere in Italy.”

She chuckled softly and said, “Stop being charming and sweet. You are starting to scare me. Is this like the Godfather? Are you telling me I’m going to Las Vegas but you are really going to strangle me with piano wire?”

Harvey laughed heartily, “You would need to be sitting in the front of the car for me to pull that off successfully and no. You’re my wife now and it is okay if I let my guard down a little.”

“Does that mean I get to see the soft Harvey interior normally reserved for Mike?” asked Donna teasingly.

He pulled her into his lap and said, “I don’t know what you mean. My creamy nougat center is reserved for you.”

The redhead could not help but smile at her new husband. She would just have to suppress the feeling of impending doom. If Harvey was willing to give their marriage a real try then she should be willing to as well. He was the one taking all the risk in this situation. 

Donna frowned, “I can’t go to the Hamptons. I haven’t packed.”

“I know. I thought that you might like to do a little shopping while we are here,” Harvey suggested.

He reached down and picked up a leather satchel filled with cash.

Donna looked into the bag and gasped.

“What are you doing with all of this money?”

“I didn’t want to use anything that will leave a paper trail. I am sure that Jessica is trying to find me and I don’t want to give her any help. That should be enough money for anything that we want to do.”

Donna laughed, “More than enough money. This is insane. This is all so incredibly insane, but wonderful and sweet.”

She settled in on Harvey’s lap and relaxed. Donna did not sleep well the previous night. She was restless at the prospect of having a shotgun wedding to Harvey. At one point, she considered just turning herself in and taking whatever punishment the court meted out. However, she realized that Hardman and Jessica would make sure the D.A.’s office threw the book at her.

For the first time in days Donna was feeling relaxed and in no time at all she was drifting to sleep.

Harvey smiled when Donna’s breathing evened out. The first step of his six-step plan was complete. Now he just had to hope he could catch the other balls in the air. There had to be a way to stop the railroad job Jessica and Daniel were working so hard on.

He was waiting to hear from Vanessa. Harvey paid her handsomely to only focus on his case. He wanted her undivided attention because the trial would be starting soon. He needed hardcore evidence of wrongdoing against Jessica and Daniel. He also needed dirt on Tanner.

Vanessa was not the type to leave any stone unturned. If there was anything to find she would be sure to find it.

Harvey willed himself to close his eyes. His night had not been any more restful than Donna’s. A recurring nightmare woke him from his sleep. The nightmare always ended with Donna being dragged from the courtroom in handcuffs.

However, with her safely tucked in his arms Harvey felt comfortable enough to go to sleep.

Entirely too soon the car slowed to a stop and Donna was roused from her sleep. She straightened up seeing that they were idling in the driveway of an oceanfront home. The first level of the home was comprised of three garage spaces and a dual stairway that led up to the main entrance.

Harvey smiled and said, “I’m glad that you are awake since we’re here. Are you ready to go inside?”

Donna smiled and said, “Sure.”

Ray opened the door for them and helped Donna out of the car.

He retrieved Harvey’s bags from the trunk and followed the couple into the house.

Harvey stopped at the door and hoisted Donna into his arms. “We shouldn’t thumb our noses at tradition.”

Donna laughed as he carried her over the threshold. She gave Harvey a kissed and smirked, “Your creamy nougat center is showing.”

Harvey chuckled and carried her into the dining room where an elaborate spread was set up on the table.

Mike and Rachel came out of the kitchen with grins on their faces.

In unison, they cheered, “Congratulations.”

The couple threw colorful confetti at the newlyweds.

Donna laughed in shock.

Harvey scowled as he placed Donna on her feet. He declared, “Mike, you are cleaning that up.”

The younger man shrugged and said, “I know how to use a vacuum.”

Rachel threw her arms around Donna and said, “The last two weeks have been torture. I wanted to tell you what Harvey was planning but he swore us to secrecy.”

Donna whirled around to look at Harvey and asked, “This wasn’t spontaneous?”

He laughed as he poured champagne for everyone, “Of course not. This plan has been in the works since I proposed to you. I just didn’t tell you because you were not being cooperative.”

Donna said, “Jessica is going to fire these two for just taking off like that.”

Mike said, “Not unless she wants a lawsuit. We both put in the requests to use our vacation time a week ago. Harvey is the only one that has skipped out on work.”

“I can only guess that this is more than just a honeymoon,” said Donna.

Harvey handed glasses of champagne to everyone. He said, “It is a working honeymoon. I brought these two along so they could do the working.”

Mike said, “We are going to go over Jessica, Daniel, and Travis Tanner’s lives with a fine tooth comb. We’ll find something useful to use against them. We’re not going to let them put you in jail, Donna.”

Donna hugged him with one arm, “Thank you both.”

Mike smiled, “It’s all for one and one for all, Donna.”

Everyone including Ray clinked his or her glasses together in celebration.


	7. Dead Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a saying about waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, Harvey and Mike just got hit in the head with a stiletto.

It was two days into Harvey and Donna’s honeymoon and the foursome had yet to find the smoking gun on Jessica Pearson and Travis Tanner. The only bright spot was that Daniel Hardman was so corrupt that it took less than a day for Mike and Harvey to find something useful.

As good, as the two of them were it would be easier if they had a natural numbers person like Louis, but he couldn’t be trusted. Daniel Hardman was wooing him and Harvey had alienated him some time ago.

Mike leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes in frustration.

“Harvey, we need help to unpick what we found on Hardman. If I spend all of my time on the numbers I won’t be able to help you drill down on the information on Jessica and Travis.”

Harvey said, “I am not asking Louis for help. He’s under Daniel and Jessica’s collective thumb and he will not be interested in helping me. We don’t need to parse everything out. We now know that before Daniel left the firm he was funneling cash into a dummy charity. Where that money went is less important than proving the charity is a fake and that he was defrauding the firm.”

Mike scrubbed at his face in thought. He sat up and smiled, “I know someone that can help us with that. Lola Jensen likes me and she might be willing to do a favor for me. She hates corruption and greed. I think she would be willing to help take down a pompous asshole stealing money earmarked for charity.”

“You want to involve Jerome Jensen’s daughter? Didn’t she blackmail you last time?” asked Harvey with a smile.

“Yes, but then she found me endearing. I have that effect on people. She would do this, Harvey. I know she would.”

The older lawyer drummed his fingers on the arm of his leather club chair as he considered what Mike was suggesting. It would help take the load off them but the more people that knew about their investigation the more likely it was Jessica might find out. He couldn’t risk her putting the pieces together before he had his ducks in a row.

Jessica would not hesitate to crush Harvey and his coconspirators if she realized they were a true threat. Right now, she assumed that Harvey was just sulking and acting out in rebellion. It was better for her to regard him as a misbehaving child rather than a Brutus. She couldn’t know the dagger was poised at her back until the last possible moment.

Harvey said, “Ambition’s debt must be paid. Go call Lola and see if you can get her on board with our little plan.”

Mike nodded in agreement and left the room to use the phone in private. The two young people had become good friends since their first encounter. They often talked about gaming and literature.

The senior partner sighed tiredly. He and Mike had been at this for hours while Donna and Rachel were out enjoying a day of shopping and spa treatments.

The women were in absolute heaven as they were in the Hamptons during the off-season. They didn’t have to worry about the traffic and crowds generally associated with the area during the Memorial Day to Labor Day season. There were no long lines to get into the trendy eateries and no weeks long wait to get reservations for spa treatments. They couldn’t go swimming but the beach was still an amazing sight. He was glad half of Mr. and Mrs. Specter was enjoying the honeymoon.

He got up, poured a glass of scotch, and tried to formulate an alternative plan. Perhaps the goods on Daniel Hardman would be enough to make Jessica back off. This information had to be good enough to get him removed from the firm. It would prove to the senior partners that his mea culpa upon returning to the firm was bullshit. He didn’t confess all his sins and certainly didn’t return any portion of the money stashed away offshore.

Jessica was only forcing him to testify against Donna because it would safeguard her from complicity if Daniel tried to call for a vote to replace her as managing partner. She had to act from a position of power and that meant being ruthless toward the person responsible for the suit against the firm.

Donna and Rachel burst into the house with dozens of bags hanging from their hands and arms. The women dropped their purchases at their feet.

“Harvey, we just heard on the radio that there is a snow storm heading this way. The forecasters think it is going to be pretty bad by late tomorrow night,” Donna said.

Rachel chimed in, “They are predicting a couple of feet of snow. Maybe more.”

“I listened to the forecast a couple days ago and they thought it was just going to be a couple of inches of snow,” said Harvey.

The older lawyer had studied the forecast the day he married Donna to ensure they wouldn’t be in just this type of situation.

Donna said, “I think we should go back to the city tonight. We do not want to be stranded here. When it snows I-495 is an absolute monster to navigate. Not to mention other people might get the same idea about heading further inland away from the snowstorm.”

Mike walked back into the room and said, “Harvey, Lola is on board with our plans. She just needs the information and she can start working her magic.”

He stopped talking seeing the tense expressions on everyone’s faces.

“What’s going? Is something wrong?”

Rachel said, “There is a winter storm coming in and it is going to be bad. They are expecting several feet of snow to blanket the area. Donna thinks we should go home and I agree.”

Mike said, “We can’t go home yet. This place is our fortress of solitude and we don’t have to worry about interruptions from Jessica or anyone else. Not to mention Harvey’s place in the city would be a wreck if we had to spread out all of these boxes. We need the space to work.”

The women looked at the mounds of paperwork spread across every surface in the living room. There was a fax machine set up in the living room so that Vanessa could send them new information as she got it.

Harvey said, “Mike is right. We can’t go back to the city right now. We have to stay here to finish researching. We don’t have to be back to work for another week. Certainly, the storm will have blown over by then and we can go home. In the meantime, we will stock up on food and emergency supplies and wait it out.  If this were a hurricane or a nor’easter, I would agree with the two of you. It is just snow and as long as we don’t have to go out in it we will be safe. Donna, I know this isn’t the honeymoon I promised but…”

She shook her head and said, “No, you’re right, Harvey. We are doing all of this to keep me out of prison and to keep you from losing your license. Being trapped inside of this house isn’t exactly a horrible thing as long as we are prepared. There is plenty of room to work in and room to spread out if we start getting on one another’s nerves.”

Rachel said, “Okay, I guess I will have to be the voice of reason. What if there is a power outage? Then our research will be impossible because we will be freezing our asses off in the dark. Not to mention Jessica will be itching for a reason to fire Mike, Harvey, and me if we are even a day late getting back from this trip. She’s not a fool. She has to know that something suspicious is going on by now.”  

Mike put an arm around Rachel and said, “Harvey has a couple of fireplaces. We can buy a diesel generator, flashlights, lanterns, and non-perishable food. As far as Jessica firing us, you have a point. I will not be upset if you decide to go back home. My lot is already cast in with Harvey’s. If she fires Harvey, I am out the door as well. You aren’t in the same boat so I don’t expect you to take the same risk. If you want to go home now you can drive the rental car back before the snow comes in. I can catch a ride home with Harvey and Donna.”

Donna said, “No one would blame you for leaving, Rachel. This isn’t your fight. I would never want you to suffer for trying to help me. I’m not being falsely accused. I did destroy evidence in a civil case. Whatever happens is because of my own doing. The fact that you came at all means so much to me.”

“You’re wrong about one thing. This is my fight too, Donna. You are my best friend. I don’t mean just at Pearson Hardman. You are my best friend period. I refuse to do nothing while people are trying to put you in prison and Mike’s my boyfriend. This is important to him and his future too. I am not going anywhere. If Jessica fires me, I can always take a job at Rand, Calder, & Zane. My father would love to lord it over me but I won’t be jobless.”

Mike smiled and said, “So we’re all staying!”

Rachel kissed Mike and beamed looking at him. “Yes, we’re staying but we definitely need a generator.”

Harvey said, “I had a stationary generator installed after I bought this place. It runs on natural gas so that I don’t have to be concerned about fuel. It turns on automatically when the power goes out.”

Donna frowned and asked, “Why didn’t you say anything, Harvey?”

He shrugged, “No one asked me. You went off on your own tangents about starving in the frigid wilderness of the Hamptons. All joking aside, Rachel, if you are worried about your job it is okay for you to go back now. I can hire a car service to take you.”

“No, I’m where I want to be. I just had a moment of freaking out. I am glad that there is a reliable generator and we won’t freeze to death if there is a power cut.”

Donna said, “That means that we need to put our heads together and figure out what supplies we need to make it through a storm. Things will get ugly around here if we run out of food.”

Rachel added, “And we need to do that quickly because I am sure the locals will have the same idea. I think we should divide and conquer. One couple handles the grocery shopping and the other handles household essentials.”

Donna nodded and said, “Great idea. Let’s start on the list.”

Mike chuckled and looked at Harvey. “Do you get the feeling we’ve just been excluded from the planning process?”

“Are you actually complaining, rookie? Do you really want to be part of the list writing?”

Mike nodded in the affirmative and followed them women into the kitchen.

“I want Lucky Charms,” Mike informed them.

Harvey chuckled, “Child…”

He looked down at Donna and Rachel’s forgotten purchases and started moving the bags out of the middle of the walkway. If they were going to be bringing in bags of groceries in supplies, they needed an easy pathway. As he was moving everything, something caught his eye. He picked up a bag from the local drugstore and saw for different brands of pregnancy tests.

Harvey wrenched his head toward the kitchen so quickly it caused him to groan in pain. He searched the bag for a receipt but saw that it was paid for with cash like everything else during this trip. He had no way of knowing if these tests belonged to Donna or Rachel.

He stared at the collection of bags and tried to see if he could determine which mass of purchases belonged to which woman. However, it was useless. He couldn’t see a difference and it was likely that the women’s purchases were mixed together in their hurry to get them out of the car.

Harvey quickly hid the bag behind the others and walked into the kitchen.

“Mike, I need to have a word with you.”

The associate groaned, “Fine, but you guys makes sure you put Doritos and Cheetos on the list. I like them both and I need processed cheese products to concentrate.”

Donna laughed and said, “Duly noted.”

Mike followed Harvey out of the kitchen and down the hall to his office.

Harvey closed the door and asked, “Could Rachel be pregnant?”

Mike’s eyes widened and asked, “What?”

The older man groaned at the awkward conversation but he had to soldier on.

“I found a bag with four pregnancy tests inside. I’m just wondering if they could belong to Rachel?” asked Harvey.

Mike felt like he was numb. He sat down on the couch in the office and said, “I don’t know. I guess. I mean we’re…you know…”

Harvey breathed out in relief and said, “Okay, so they’re probably Rachel’s pregnancy tests.”

“Wait a minute. They could just as easily belong to Donna. I mean you two aren’t exactly Capuchin monks or anything. Not that I would hate the idea of Rachel and I having a little Mike or Mikette but she still wants to go to law school and that would throw a major wrench into things.”

Harvey had a seat behind his desk and said, “I don’t despise the idea of children either but there is still a possibility that Donna might go to prison. That is unacceptable right now but would be even more so if she’s pregnant.”  

Mike cleared his throat and asked, “Well, have you two been, you know, safe?”

The senior partner shot him a glare and said, “We are not having this conversation.”

“Why not? You just tried to have it with me! We use condoms but Rachel isn’t on birth control. She had to stop taking them as a teenager when she started getting blood clots in her legs.”

Harvey said, “It is possible that Donna is pregnant. The morning I proposed to her she got sick.”

Mike laughed heartily, “A woman became physically ill from a marriage proposal. You may have lost your touch, Harvey. The easiest way to solve this is by just asking them who the tests belong to and then the mystery is over.”

Rachel knocked on the door and said, “Hey, Donna and I decided to just order the groceries online and have you guys pick them up. We called and the manager says they will do pick up orders until the snow comes in. You two are on your own for getting the household stuff. We made a list for you. Our pick up order will be ready in like 2 hours.”

Mike took the list from Rachel and kissed her. He said, “Sure we will leave soon.”

She smiled and said, “Thanks. We will research while the two of you are gone.”

Harvey said, “Let’s just get this over with. I don’t like shopping.”

Mike asked, “What are the chances they want us out of the house so one of them can take the pregnancy test?” 


	8. Long Odds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The results are in and the shock may never wear off.

Rachel stood at the large picture window in the living room and watched with bated breath as Mike’s rental car turned the corner and drove out of sight. She spun around to face Donna and flashed a cheerful smile.

“Okay, they are gone and shouldn’t be back for about an hour or more. That gives us plenty of time for you to take those pregnancy tests,” Rachel said, she clapped her hands together in excitement.

Donna offered a tense smile to the paralegal. She wished that she could share in the enthusiasm but at the moment she felt the urge to vomit. She wasn’t sure if that was morning sickness or just nerves.

A month ago Donna began to notice the tell-tale signs of pregnancy, but at the time she didn’t connect the dots. Her lethargy and nausea started around the time Harvey disappeared from her life for a second time. She thought it was depression. Donna was packing her belongings to ready them for a move to Rhode Island when Harvey resurfaced and proposed to her.

However, it wasn’t until the morning after Donna and Harvey were married that she realized her period was three weeks late. Initially, she tried to convince herself that it was the stress that caused the shift in her normally clockwork-like cycle. She even tried talking it out with Rachel in hopes that the young woman would agree that it was all just stress.

Donna sighed inwardly ruing the intelligence of the paralegal. She would have to get dumber friends if she wanted someone to blindly co-sign her delusions. This wasn’t just stress or depression. Either Donna was pregnant or she was ill. She didn’t know which option scared her less at the moment.

Rachel searched their purchases until she finally wrested the bag of pregnancy tests free. She held it up like a trophy and asked, “Which bathroom?”

“Maybe we should just wait. I mean there really isn’t any rush. I can take the pregnancy test once we’re back in Manhattan,” Donna reasoned, she tried to appear confident.

The younger woman saw through her almost immediately and her eyes widened in shock. She put her hands on her hips in playfully scolded Donna, “Are you chickening out? I never thought I would see the day that Donna Paulsen backed down from a challenge.”

Donna sat down on the couch and said, “Just a month ago Harvey had no intention of marrying me or starting a family with me. Now look where we are. This is all too much, too fast, Rachel. I don’t want to scare him off. I love Harvey.”

The redhead paled hearing herself say the words aloud. It was like she’d confessed a secret but Rachel didn’t look shocked.

Rachel had a seat beside Donna and said, “I know that this was a marriage of convenience but it hardly looks like you are twisting Harvey’s arm. He adores you and he would do anything for you, Donna. I don’t think you can do anything to scare him off. You committed a felony and he’s still here. I have no doubt that he loves you as much as you love him.”

“Well, there is that. I just don’t want to overwhelm him. We are about to go to war with Jessica Pearson, Daniel Hardman, and Travis Tanner. If this doesn’t go well my going to jail will be the least of his worries. He will no longer have Jessica’s support or protection now that he has outright defied her. He could lose everything now.”

“Then it is up to you to make sure that he knows just what he has. No matter how all of this plays out he has a wife that loves him and maybe a baby. If that doesn’t motivate him I don’t know what else could,” Rachel said, she squeezed Donna’s hand in support.

Donna rolled her eyes and said, “I see why you want to become a lawyer. You can be quite persuasive when you want to be, Rachel. I guess there’s no point in wasting any more time. I need to know the truth.”

Rachel fished a test out of the bag and handed it to Donna. She took out a second one and said, “I’ll take one with you as a show of solidarity! Besides, you bought four and you really only need one pregnancy test. It is really rare to get a false positive with this new generation of tests. They are like 97% accurate.”

“Thanks for reminding me. Let’s take the bags upstairs to the bedroom. We can take the tests there,” said Donna.

Both women grabbed several bags in each hand and carried them upstairs to the master bedroom.

Rachel looked around the room and chuckled. This room definitely looked like Harvey’s taste: classy, upscale, and masculine.

She said, “You go first. I’ll just start sorting through our bags and separating them. I bought some things that I wouldn’t want Harvey to accidentally stumble across and mistake for yours.”

“Oh, you mean that lacey number I saw you discreetly pick up while we were shopping? I see everything. I’m Donna.”

The younger woman blushed furiously and replied, “You have a test to take.”

Donna chuckled and continued into the bathroom.

Rachel started looking through their purchases and made two separate piles.  Although, this was meant to be a work trip she was thoroughly enjoying herself. Seeing Donna and Harvey so happy together made her wonder about the future with Mike.

They made it through the first hurdle when he finally told her the truth about not having a license. It was shocking and she was angry but Rachel quickly realized it didn’t change how she felt about Mike. She loved him even more for coming clean; it had been a massive exercise in trust on his part. Mike had no way of knowing if Rachel would keep his secret and he told her anyway.

Once she was over the shock it was all about finding a way for him to become a legitimate lawyer. They were working on a plan for all of that when Harvey enlisted their help in protecting Donna from prosecution. For now their plans for the future would have to be put on hold.

Rachel looked up when Donna walked out of the bathroom with freshly washed hands and face. The younger woman could only guess that she got sick either from nerves or the pregnancy. She offered an encouraging smile.

“My turn!”

Donna laughed softly as the paralegal bounced happily into the bathroom to take the pregnancy test. She felt lucky to have a friend to hold her hand through this process. Nervous didn’t begin to explain how she felt. She glanced around the room much like Rachel had and chuckled.

Harvey’s life wasn’t really set up for a wife and child. He was always busy with work. She could count on one hand the number of days he’d taken off work prior to her being fired. She wondered if he could really accommodate all of the changes without resenting her. There was part of her that still doubted Harvey’s dedication. His mother’s betrayal shattered his faith in marriage. On the other hand his father’s dedication was likely to inspire Harvey to stick with a relationship that made him miserable.

A few minutes later Rachel exited the bathroom and had a seat next to Donna.

“We have to wait five minutes for my results but yours should be ready in about three minutes. We can check your test then,” said Rachel.

Donna shook her head and said, “Trust me. I can wait a few more minutes. I am in no hurry to see the results. Where did you put your test? I don’t want them to get mixed up.”

“Well, mine will be the one that says ‘Not Pregnant’ but I made sure to set it on the far end of the counter. There is no way we can mix the two of them up,” said Rachel.

“We don’t know that I’m pregnant,” Donna hissed.

Rachel beamed, “You might not know that you are pregnant but I am pretty sure that you are. We’re going to have a little Specter to love and spoil!”

Donna cut her eyes at Rachel and gave her the patented ‘Donna glare’.

“Paulsen-Specter? I forgot to ask. Did you decide to hyphenate your name when you married Harvey? I think I might like a hyphen if I ever got married.”

Donna said, “Everything was such a blur leading up to the ceremony that I didn’t really take time to give it any thought. I mean at one time in my life I thought I might want a hyphen but it just doesn’t seem that important to me where Harvey is concerned. I like the name Specter.”

Rachel said, “I don’t know what I would do. I spent so much time trying to make a name for myself. I don’t think I want to get folded into my husband’s identity. I’m sure that is just a symptom of my Daddy issues.”

“There is nothing wrong with that. Hyphen or no hyphen as long as you’re happy that is all that really matters. Everything else is just window dressing.”

Rachel glanced at the clock on the nightstand and clapped her hands together in excitement.

“It’s time!”

Donna blew out a nervous breath and said, “I don’t want to know. If I know then I have to tell Harvey. I can’t keep something like this from him. I’ll tell him as soon as he walks in the door.”

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend you tell him as soon as he walks in the door but you should tell him tonight. I don’t think it will be as devastating as you’re making it out to be. Things like this are always worse in our heads. I’ll go look and I’ll tell you if you’re pregnant or not.”

The paralegal hugged Donna and then walked into the bathroom.

Donna waited on pins and needles for Rachel to return with the verdict. As the minutes ticked by she started to get concerned. Maybe there was something wrong with the test. They didn’t actually check the expiration date before they bought them. It was the off season in the Hamptons. It was possible that those tests could have been sitting there for months.

“Rachel,” she called, Donna waited for an answer and frowned when there was none.

The redhead walked into the bathroom to find Rachel sitting on the floor with a stunned look on her face. Donna quickly moved to sit next to her in the relatively spacious bathroom.

“What’s wrong?” asked Donna.

Rachel said, “It said Pregnant…”

Donna asked, “I’m pregnant? Why are you so upset?”

The girl shook her head and said, “I don’t know if you’re pregnant. I didn’t get a chance to look at your test. Mine was sitting on the end of the counter nearest the door. I was just picking it up to throw it in the garbage when I saw the result.”

Donna pried the stick from Rachel’s tightly clenched fist and looked at in shock. Her eyes moved back to the distraught young woman with concern.

“Did you suspect that you were pregnant before you took the test?” asked Donna.

Rachel shook her head.

In hindsight Donna knew that was a stupid question. The younger woman’s reaction to the news was proof positive of that.

“No, I’m always so careful because I can’t take birth control. What am I going to tell Mike? At least you and Harvey are married! This is a disaster.  My parents are going to have a collective coronary.”

Donna rubbed Rachel’s back in support.

Rachel sniffled, “Oh, I’m sorry for focusing on my own stuff. We still don’t know if you’re pregnant. I’ll go get your test. I should at least do that right.”

Rachel stood up and walked over to the counter.

Donna stayed on the floor. She was too shocked to move.

She looked down at Donna’s test and said, “Well, the bad news is we’re both pregnant but the good news is our children will be really close in age.”

Donna chuckled wryly and asked, “Would it make me a bad mother to have a glass of scotch before Harvey comes back from the store?”

“I’m pretty sure drinking alcohol is off limits. Maybe these tests are faulty. We don’t know for sure…”

“I thought you said that these tests rarely gave false positives. 97% accurate you said,” Donna chided.

Rachel rolled her eyes and asked, “What do you have an eidetic memory like Mike?”

 

 

 

 


	9. Hedging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna has big news for Harvey and he has big news for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have absolutely zero understanding of the law. However, I've researched and tried to skate as close to reality as possible. Apologies in advance for unrealistic legal feats. Also, I don't have a beta so all the mistakes are mine.

Donna stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and fixed her makeup. Simultaneously she was suppressing the urge to vomit for the third time that evening and rehearsing her speech silently. She was unsure if it was morning sickness or anxiety over telling Harvey about the pregnancy. Honestly, after Rachel broke down she had not had much time to worry about her own predicament. She spent most of the evening silently supporting and consoling the paralegal. Both women resolved to tell their respective mates that night. Waiting any longer would just be torture for all of them.

She walked out of the bathroom and scowled at Harvey in bed with a glass of scotch in his hand. She couldn’t count how many glasses she witnessed him drink that day but knew he had at least three during dinner. Their situation was stressful but excessive drinking wasn’t the answer.

Harvey smiled seeing Donna standing in the doorway wearing a black lace nightgown. He took one last gulp and set his glass on the nightstand.

“You look beautiful, Donna. I’m glad I finally took the old man’s advice.”

She asked, “Do I? I’m not surprised with as much as you’ve been drinking. I’m sure everyone looks good to you right now.”

He huffed out a laugh, “I’ve never had beer goggles. I see perfection or imperfection whether I am drunk or sober. Although, I’d like to point out that I am very sober at the moment. What’s wrong?”

Harvey eyed her carefully. He was aware that something was stuck in her craw and they were about to have it out. After all their years together, he could always spot an argument on the horizon.

“What’s wrong is that you have been drinking scotch like water all day and to be honest it has been going on for the last couple days. In fact, if we’re strictly honest Mike says it started soon after Jessica fired me.”

Harvey flexed his fingers in annoyance and closed his eyes for a moment. He had no interest in having this conversation with Donna. He knew where this was headed and he did not have a drinking problem. He had legitimate reasons to be concerned about their lives and scotch just tasted delicious. Harvey would have to have a talk with his associate and remind him of where his loyalties lie. He considered answering her head on but instead he decided to reverse the situation completely.  

“We can talk about my drinking as soon as we talk about those pregnancy tests. Were they yours, Donna?” asked Harvey.

It was Donna’s turn to fidget uncomfortably under Harvey’s steely gaze. Rachel and Donna made sure to hide the tests and the empty boxes. She intended to tell Harvey the truth but she was nervous. Her anxiety was one of the reasons she took so long in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Donna kept rehearsing what she would say in her head.

Donna walked over to the bed and had a seat beside Harvey.

She asked, “How do you know about the pregnancy tests?”

“I’m Harvey. I know everything,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. Her entire script was useless now that Harvey already knew about the pregnancy tests.

“I took a test this afternoon and it said that I’m pregnant. I am going to schedule an appointment with my doctor when we make it back to the city. I just want confirmation but I’m fairly certain. I’m late.”

The news wasn’t exactly a shock. Harvey observed Donna throughout dinner and she appeared distracted and distressed. However, Rachel was quiet and withdrawn as well. He didn’t know what to make of the situation. Harvey had been tempted to confront Donna at dinner but it hardly seemed the time or the place to make such an inquiry. Moreover, an important call pulled him away from the dinner table halfway through the meal.

Harvey asked, “How late?”

“Really late. Late enough that I should have realized something was wrong a lot sooner. I thought it was stress but it is probably a baby. How do you feel about this, Harvey? It is okay if you’re not happy. I wouldn’t blame you. The timing couldn’t be worse.”

Harvey recognized an out when he saw one but he knew Donna needed reassurance. She was steadfast in most cases but in the last month, her life had been turned upside down. That could shake anyone to their core even the unflappable Donna Paulsen wasn’t immune.

He pulled Donna onto his lap and said, “I was shocked this afternoon when I found the tests. I can’t lie I was sort of hoping that they belonged to Rachel, but not because I don’t want children with you. I just don’t know how all of this is going to work out. You might go to prison, which would be the worse, and I might be disbarred. I always assumed if I had a family that I would be able to support them and I’m not so sure of that now.”

 Donna relaxed visibly and nodded.

“I have some of the same concerns, Harvey. All day I kept replaying the decision to shred that damn memo. I panicked and I made a bad situation apocalyptic. I did this to our baby and us. The idea of giving birth in prison scares me the most, but I have no such fears about you taking care of us. I believe without a doubt that you would move Heaven and Earth to provide for us. Anyway it isn’t the 1950’s I’m capable of working as well.”

Harvey lightly brushed her hair away from her face and looked into her eyes with a crooked smile.

“I am not letting you go to prison. I don’t care who I have to destroy in the process. Jessica and Daniel want to play dirty. Well, I learned that game from the best. Most of what I know I learned from Jessica. It is time that I stop playing defense and start playing offense. It is risky but worth it.”

Donna asked, “What are you thinking about doing, Harvey?”

She was nervous about making their predicament worse.

“I’ve been trying to find something to blackmail Jessica that would cause minimal damage and wouldn’t result in her losing her position as managing partner. That’s no long an option. I have information on her that would drum her out of the firm and into a courtroom. It implicates her and Daniel Hardman. It is my hole card and I have had it all along. If I play it, there is no going back. I can’t just threaten to use it I have to use it. Which means the firm will be in disarray. We could go under. A couple thousand people will be jobless because of what I do next. I had to get a few things in order before I could make such a drastic move.”

Donna asked, “What is it?”

“Well, if I am going to tell you I might as well tell the whole justice league at the same time. Mike and Rachel need to be here for this. I’ll go get them.”

She nodded solemnly, “I’ll put on a robe.”

Harvey walked out of the bedroom and walked down the hall to Mike and Rachel’s room. He knocked forcefully and waited for an answer.

Mike came to the door a few minutes later.

He asked, “Can this wait until morning, Harvey? Rachel and I are in the middle of something.”

Harvey joked, “Have a romantic night on your own time, rookie. We need to talk. I need Rachel for this conversation as well.”

Mike ran a hand over his face and blurted out, “Rachel’s pregnant, Harvey.”

The older man sobered and eyed his associate for a moment. He replied, “Donna is pregnant too.”

“I know. Rachel told me. She took the test as a joke to support Donna. Turns out it wasn’t much of a joke.”

Harvey said, “I wouldn’t interrupt this if it wasn’t important. Julian called me back tonight after dinner. He’s onboard.”

Mike let out an impressed whistle.

“It’s really happening?”

Harvey nodded.

“Give me ten minutes. Where are we meeting?”

“My bedroom,” Harvey said.

“I would make a suggestive joke if things weren’t so serious right now,” Mike called after him.

Harvey chuckled, “That joke can be tabled until a later date. I am sure Donna would just love to hear it.”

Mike blanched slightly and went back into the bedroom.

Rachel said, “I heard. Whatever it is sounds important. We can finish talking about this later, Mike.”

He kissed her cheek and said, “Thank you for being so understanding.”

“Well, our future is tied in with theirs now. Let’s go.”

Mike and Rachel made the short trip down the hall to Harvey and Donna’s bedroom. They found the door open so they walked inside.

Harvey motioned toward the chaise lounge on the other side of the room. He paused staring at the both of them and snorted.

“You two are wearing matching Scooby Doo pajamas?” Harvey asked.

Mike shrugged and said, “We have matching Power Ranger pajamas too. We like to keep it fresh.”

Donna couldn’t stifle her laughter despite the gravity of the situation.

She shook her head and said, “I know what to get the two of you for Christmas. How do you feel about Star Wars?”

Rachel said, “I’m more of a Trekkie but I can tolerate Star Wars for Mike.”

Harvey couldn’t hold back his own laughter.

He said, “Marry her because you are never going to find another woman that likes Star Trek and is willing to wear pajamas with cartoon characters printed on them.”

Mike said, “We can’t all wear silk pajamas, Hugh Hefner.”

“I pay you enough. You could if you wanted to, Mike. Alright, on to the reason I called you both in here.”

“It was Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with the wrench?” asked Mike.

Harvey tried not to laugh at the Clue reference but did. He cleared his throat and said, “Before the firm was called Pearson Hardman, it was Gordon Schmidt & Van Dyke. Jessica and Daniel teamed up to oust the managing and name partners and took over the firm. It was a blitz attack that happened so quickly they never even smelled the blood in the water. Jessica said she went after them in the night because that’s when they’re sleeping. I asked her where the honor in that was and she said there was no honor in our business. I heard her but I wasn’t listening. I didn’t really consider the implications of what she was saying to me. A person without honor will turn on you when it suits them. They have no loyalty and you would be foolish to give loyalty to them. I have been foolish but that is over with now. I don’t just want to keep Donna out of jail I want to crush Jessica and Daniel. The way to do that is to take over the firm.”

Rachel sat up straight on the chaise and looked at Harvey in disbelief.

“You’re proposing a takeover? I don’t mean to speak out of turn but you might be disbarred after the civil trial is over. I don’t think you would survive the vote in.”

Harvey said, “I’m going to make sure that the civil trial never happens and I won’t be staging this coup on my own. I’m going to tap Louis and a close friend from another firm, Julian Cohen. Effective tonight he is now a senior partner at Pearson Hardman along with his wife, Maya.”

Donna asked, “Cohen? Would this be the son of the judge that married us in his chambers?”

Harvey nodded affirmatively.

“Julian and I were childhood friends. We also went to law school together. I worked at the DA’s office first because Jessica wanted me to have trial experience and he used his father’s considerable connections to get a comfortable spot at Smith & Devane. He has been looking to jump ship for the last year. He inquired about the situation at Pearson Hardman several months ago and met with Jessica. He was on track to join our firm until Daniel came back and threw everything into upheaval.”

Rachel asked, “Why would he leave Smith & Devane? They are a great firm with highly respected lawyers. At least three of their former senior partners are now judges in the appellate division and two are on the bench at the second circuit.”  

“It looks like Devane is going to back his son as the next name partner over Julian despite the fact that he has been there longer and has the highest billable hours of anyone at that firm. Devane has been using Julian as his closer for years. This move is a huge sign of disrespect. Julian called tonight to let me know that Jessica hired Maya, John Rosenthal, and Marianna Castillo on the spot. They have already consolidated their client roster and have brought the majority of the clients they signed while working for Smith & Devane with them.”

The room froze in stunned silence as Harvey laid out his master plan.

Mike knew about the plan with Julian but was a little shocked that Harvey was going to reach out to Louis.

He said, “When I mentioned asking Louis for help you shot me down.”

Harvey said, “Daniel Hardman named Louis a senior partner tonight. I got confirmation from Julian. I had to wait until Louis was named a senior partner. Only senior partners can be name partners. When we do this takeover, I want Louis’ name on the door from the beginning. He might hate me but he bleeds Pearson Hardman. He won’t pass up this chance.”

Donna sighed, “Louis does not hate you. He tries so hard to form a friendship with you and you slam the door in his face every time. Are you serious about Louis being a name partner with you and Julian Cohen?”

“It is hard to be friends with Louis because he can be so annoying. Yes, I’m serious about this. He worked there when it was still Gordon Schmidt & Van Dyke. Despite his ridiculous tactics, he produces an impeccable crop of associates every cycle. He is the best numbers guy the firm has no matter what the people in the bankruptcy division think. His billable hours are on par with mine and he will bend over backwards to bring a new client into the firm. We need that. Specter Cohen & Litt has a ring to it,” Harvey said.

Rachel asked, “What about the noncompete clause at Smith & Devane? Any firm worth its salt would have one tucked into the employment contract. That’s why lateral hiring is so hard in our field.”

Harvey said, “Julian’s employment contract expired just over a year ago. The noncompete clause expires one year after the employment contract expires. He has been working at-will for the firm ever since. Devane has been in no rush to get him to sign a new contract. Julian thinks the old man intends to fire him. The writing is on the wall. Devane will most likely retire in the next six months. He will back his son to take his place as managing partner, but Julian is well liked. It wouldn’t take much for him to put together a coalition of the senior partners willing to vote for him and not the younger Devane.”

Mike nodded, “Devane doesn’t get him to sign the employment contract so that he can fire him without explanation. At-will means just that. That’s short-sighted on his part but great news for us.”

“He never saw Julian’s preplanned exit coming. He’s did the same with Maya, John, and Marianna. They’ve all been at the firm longer than Devane’s son, Seth. They would be sure to support Julian’s move,” Harvey explained.

Donna said, “I get that you want to take the firm from them but how does that stop me from going to prison.”

Mike said, “Hardman is the one that is pushing for you to go to trial. It is as much to hurt Harvey, as it is to discredit Jessica. We have enough evidence to render Hardman ineffective. He has a fraudulent offshore charity that he was funneling money into and withdrawing money from before he left Pearson Hardman.”

“Jessica kept it a secret because it was easier to just oust Daniel from the firm and not deal with telling our clients about the theft. They didn’t notice. The statute of limitations has run out on those dealings. It is enough to get him disbarred but not enough to send him to prison. We’ve been researching and trying to find a new infraction no matter how insignificant,” said Harvey.

Mike added, “Lola Jensen started looking into Daniel’s financials for us today and found something immediately. He recently purchased an estate in Argentina. The money came from the supposedly defunct charity account. He never closed the damn thing. We have our smoking gun. He’s committing fraud and theft right now.”

Donna muttered, “No extradition treaty in Argentina. Does he know that you’re coming for him, Harvey?”

“I don’t think he knows I am planning something but I am sure he realizes that his fake charity won’t stay under the radar forever now that he is funneling money into the account again. I think he’s setting up options in case he’s detected. Mike and I have been going over this repeatedly. We don’t understand how you missed the memo.”

Donna tried not to be hurt. She said, “Even the great Donna makes mistakes, Harvey.”

“No, we don’t believe you did. Mike and I went around this thing in circles and something never felt right. You missed something so crucial, which is unusual, and the suit is filed right after Daniel makes his triumphant return to Pearson Hardman. I helped force him out of the firm and I threatened to tell his daughter about his infidelities. He has it in for me. Vanessa has some less than legal methods of getting information. Nothing that can be used for court but just things we need to know. One of those things is that Tanner and Hardman had several phone conversations before I found out about the civil suit. To an outside eye, it doesn’t look suspicious. Opposing counsel is calling one of the name partners of the firm he’s suing, but in the phone records it appears that Daniel reached out to Tanner first. We can’t prove that the memo was a fake but we can twist his arm into a greatly reduced settlement. The family deserves that money. Whether the memo was real or not the defect was real. It caused that man’s death.”

The redhead’s eyes hardened and she asked, “Daniel Hardman set me up?”

Harvey said, “He set me up. He was sure that it would look like I was burying evidence. That gets me disbarred and discredits Jessica. She’s the one that made me senior partner over some people that have been at the firm longer. It was a good move and might have worked if he left you out of it. Trying to force me to testify against you made me change tactics. Donna I need something from you.”

She nodded, “Anything…”

“You have a better connection with Louis. I need you to call him and get him here. If I am going to pitch this to Louis, it has to be in person. He has to know how serious I am.”

 


	10. Parlay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey presents his case to Louis. Will he agree to join Team Specter?

The next morning Harvey sat alone in the kitchen while he drank a cup of coffee. The national news was playing in the background as he studied the mounting evidence against Daniel Hardman. It wouldn’t be too difficult to hint at Jessica’s complicity. He had once again found a suitable scapegoat to hang his crimes on. However, Harvey was still grasping at straws to find the final nail in Jessica’s coffin. The managing partner rarely did anything actionable but he couldn’t to give up. Jessica was a talented litigator. There was a high possibility that she would be able to argue her way out of Daniel’s financial crimes.

Everyone else in the house was still asleep and Harvey was enjoying the peace and quiet. He needed to review his strategy for approaching Louis. It was no different than presenting a case in court. Convincing the lawyer to join the coup would be a herculean task. Participating in a coup had risks. If they failed, they would be ousted from the firm and blocked from joining any competing firms.

However, the more pressing issue was that Louis had no reason to do Harvey any favors. His treatment of the man over the years had been nothing short of disdainful. The moments of camaraderie between the two men were few and far in between. Louis had the ability to appear cartoonish and at times, it was difficult to take him seriously. There was also the fact that Harvey was a cocky bastard that often treated him like something underneath his shoe. He had to make Louis feel wanted and sell him on the idea that this was a good move for his career.

Harvey heard a car pulling into the driveway and smiled. He could always count on Ray to be on time. It was just before 9 AM and Louis was about to walk onto his doorstep. He would have to remember to give Ray a bonus for acting as his ferry even as the snow began to fall.

He opened the front door and nodded at Ray in appreciation. Harvey waited for Louis to walk up the stairs.

Louis looked impeccable in his ‘senior partner’ suit. There was a more confident spring in his step. He saw Harvey’s hand extended to him and he begrudgingly shook his hand.

“Would you like to tell me why Donna lured me out here at this time of morning? You do know I had to leave the house at 5:30 to avoid rush hour traffic out of the city. It threw off all my morning routines.”

Harvey said, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Louis but this really couldn’t wait. Come in and have a cup of coffee with me. Everyone else is asleep. I wanted you to get here early so that we could have this conversation in private. I know Saturday is your spa day so thank you for coming.”

Louis was confused by Harvey’s cordial attitude and automatically suspected him of something sinister. However, it wasn’t every day that Harvey Specter asked him for something. He was willing to at least listen to what the man had to say. Louis couldn’t help wanting Harvey’s approval no matter how much he tried.

“Everyone else? There are other people here?” asked Louis, he eyed the dapper man suspiciously.

“Donna, Mike, and Rachel are still upstairs asleep. There was a lot to talk about last night so everyone went to bed rather late. I’m sure they will be up shortly. They already know why you’re here so there was no need for them to participate in the conversation.”

Louis took the information in stride and tried to parse out what was going on. It no longer seemed odd that Jessica questioned him about Mike’s whereabouts a few days ago. At the time, he thought it was strange that Jessica didn’t just ask Harvey. Now it seemed obvious that Harvey didn’t want her to know. It all seemed a little cloak and dagger but to what end he was unsure. However, he was excited by the prospect of being included in some sort of secret plan. He rarely was invited to play their reindeer games.

“Do I smell Blue Mountain coffee?” asked Louis, he made a show of sniffing the air.

Harvey closed the door and said, “Good nose. Yes, it is Blue Mountain. Come into the kitchen and I’ll pour you a cup.”

Louis followed Harvey into the kitchen and had a seat at the island. He watched the other lawyer prepare a cup of coffee to his liking.

Harvey saw the shocked look and he said, “I asked Donna.”

Louis did love how Donna seemed to know almost all of his quirks. He so wished that he could hire her and fire Norma. It wasn’t that older woman was a bad secretary it was just that Donna was better or perhaps it was because she was Harvey’s secretary. At times, they really were like brothers fighting over the same toys and vying for mommy’s attention.

Louis nodded, “So what is all this about?”

Harvey set Louis’ coffee in front of him and had a seat at the end of the island. He slid a basket of muffins in his direction after taking a blueberry muffin for himself.

“I heard that Hardman named you senior partner last night,” Harvey said, he took a sip from his refreshed cup of coffee.

Louis sat up straighter and smirked, “I signed my contract and handed over my buy-in check last night to make it official.”

“Congratulations, Louis. You truly deserve the position. You are one of the best lawyers that I know. That is why I am coming to you about this.”

“What do you want?” Louis deadpanned; he never received a compliment from Harvey unless it was followed by a request.

“Jessica and Daniel are leveraging Donna against me. They want me to testify against her in a criminal trial. Jessica intends to lay the blame for this debacle as far away from the firm as she can. Hardman wants to push for jail time. He’ll probably get it.”

“There isn’t a criminal trial, Harvey,” said Louis.

Harvey said, “There isn’t a criminal trial now but there will be soon. Jessica and Daniel intend to lean on the District Attorney to get him to indict Donna on evidence tampering charges. They are going to railroad her right into a felony conviction. I will not allow them to send my wife to prison under any circumstances. I’ll do whatever I have to do including pleading guilty to a crime I didn’t commit.”

He thought up the strategy the previous night while Donna rested peacefully next to him. Her pregnancy changed everything for him. He wouldn’t risk her spending even one day behind bars. If he couldn’t make this case go away then he would take the hit.

“Your wife?” asked Louis, he spotted the wedding band on Harvey’s finger and his jaw dropped.

Louis was grateful that he didn’t have coffee in his mouth or he might have done a spit-take from the shock.

“Donna and I were married a couple days ago. Technically this is our honeymoon but it has also been a strategy session. I wanted to neutralize Daniel Hardman. He is the one pushing the hardest for Donna’s prosecution. Jessica was just going along for the ride to secure her position as managing partner.”

“Neutralize him how?”

“I knew that there would be something to find on Daniel. A man that steals from his clients once is likely to do it again. Well, he’s started up again.”

Harvey slid a folder detailing Hardman’s fraud. He had no doubt the numbers’ savant would have no trouble following the information and coming to same conclusion he had.

Louis opened the folder and gave Harvey a wary look before delving into the pages in front of him.

Harvey hoped that starting with the witch-hunt against Donna and Hardman’s fraud would be enough to soften Louis for the main pitch. As time ticked by Harvey became more confident in his strategy. He saw Louis’s eyes widening at certain parts and looks of exasperation at others. The one thing the two men had in common was playing things by the book. Neither would do anything intentionally to harm their clients or the firm.

Louis said, “He’s going to prison for this, but you already know that. Why did you ask me here, Harvey? What is this all about?”

“Well, I decided that there needs to be a change at the firm. Jessica knows how I feel about Donna and she cosigned this strategy of using her to deflect attention from the firm. She threatened to fire Mike and me if I didn’t go along. I don’t just want Hardman gone.”

“You want to unseat Jessica as well? Are you asking me to support you for managing partner?”

“Well, you are half right. I do want Jessica gone but what I really want to know is how would you like to have your name on the door, Louis?”

Louis laughed and then his eyes narrowed as if it slowly dawned on him that Harvey was serious. He was a newly minted senior partner. Surely, Harvey could find someone at the firm with a longer tenure to support his move. However, the idea of his name on the wall was making him slightly giddy.

“You mean Specter and Litt?” asked Louis with a grin.

“Well, not exactly. Jessica hired four new senior partners last night. One of those lawyers is Julian Cohen. He’s a good friend and a stellar lawyer. I want the three of us to team up. We would be Specter Litt & Cohen or Specter Cohen & Litt. Julian brought an all-star list of clients when he joined the firm. He is a damn good lawyer and an even better man to have in your corner. I’d like to have you in my corner as well, Louis.”

Louis was still stunned that Harvey really wanted him to be a name partner. He didn’t know if he should take this seriously or not. However, Harvey was hardly the type to drag him to the Hamptons for a laugh. Moreover, there was a determined look in the perfectly coifed man’s eyes.

“Who would be the managing partner?” asked Louis.

“I think that we should have two managing partners to help manage the work load. A lot of managing partners see their own billable hours dwindle because they spend so much time concentrating on the tedium of the firm. Julian and I would be the managing partners. We both have different strengths that will play better if we divide the responsibilities equitably. While co-managing partners isn’t exactly commonplace it isn’t unheard of either. However, I would like you to take on the role of CFO. You have an MBA. I think it is time you put it to use. Our current CFO is incompetent or complicit in Daniel Hardman’s fraud. We need to put a fresh face on the situation when the news breaks or we will lose clients in droves. You are amazing with numbers, Louis. Your attention to detail is the best of anyone at the firm. I trust you to handle the overall financial planning for the firm’s future. I trust you completely in that regard. You have groomed a quarter of the junior partners in the firm. You are a leader. We are about to go to war with Jessica and Daniel. I need you on my side, Louis.”

Harvey hoped that Louis would accept his offer but managing partner was a likely sticking point. However, the sad truth was despite Louis’ laudable achievements he was not well known in the legal community. Harvey and Julian were both blockbuster names with star quality. They needed to put their best foot forward in this coup or they would never survive the first 6 months. They were going to lose some clients over the scandal. The firm would need the likes of Harvey and Julian to soothe current clients and attract new ones.

“I don’t know, Harvey. I want to be a name partner and I’m fine with not being a managing partner.”

“I’m shocked the managing partner isn’t the sticking point. What’s holding you back, Louis? I want to make this work for everyone. If we don’t take over the firm it will hemorrhage clients and money when Daniel and Jessica are ousted. We will be under siege from all sides and every firm in the city will be standing by like carrion birds to pick the remains.”

Louis said, “You’re right that I have a knack for financial management, but I love the law. If I take the CFO position, I will have to give up all of my clients to truly do justice to the job. Because I will not let another fraud like this take place on my watch. However, I have a counter proposal.”

Harvey was shocked but nodded, “Let’s hear it.”

“I would like to be involved in the hiring process for the new CFO and I want them to report to me directly. That allows me to still practice law full-time but I’ll also have my finger on the pulse of the financial workings within the firm. I also want to take and endoscopic look at the books because if the CFO is this incompetent there may be more instances of malfeasance.”

“We’ll need to discuss the finer points with Julian but I don’t see any reason that he would object to this arrangement. We both want to ensure our clients that this gross mismanagement of funds will never happen again. I’ll focus on marketing and client services. Julian will deal with internal matters and your role will be to oversee the financial wellbeing of the firm. Do you have a preference on the name? Julian is comfortable with either Specter Cohen & Litt or Specter Litt & Cohen.”

Louis was still trying to take all of this in. He went from senior partner to a proposed-name partner in a matter of minutes.

“I like Specter Cohen & Litt. No one remembers the name in the middle. When do we start all of this?” asked Louis, he grinned like a Cheshire cat.

Harvey said, “My vacation is over in a couple days. I’ll come back to the city then and we’ll call for an emergency meeting for all senior partners where we’ll present our case for removing Jessica and Daniel.”

“And present the case for naming the three of us managing partners. How did you get Jessica to hire Julian?”

“She needed more senior partners that would vote her way if Daniel tried to have her removed. My guess is that she was hoping that hiring Julian, Maya, Seth, and Marianna would sway them in her direction. It isn’t hard to break down the makeup of the firm to figure out which way senior partners will vote. At last tally, she was two senior partners short of a majority. That became three when Hardman made you a senior partner.”

Louis shook Harvey’s hand and asked, “What can I do to help?”

Harvey slid over another folder containing phone records.

“This coup doesn’t work if I’m still being sued. The memo that was destroyed was a fake. I can’t prove it directly but Tanner and Hardman had several phone conversations before the suit was ever filed. I need you to lean on Lawrence Kemp. If we can get an affidavit stating he never handed the memo over then we have something.”

The other lawyer carefully reviewed the phone records and said, “This first call is before Daniel even came back to the firm. When he did get back he asked a for summary of all the cases we’ve handled in the last ten years. Coastal Motors was the easiest target because he knew where the bodies were buried. They were his clients before he was forced out and he has no liability because he was gone before the case went to trial. The plan was to get you disbarred. He was after you from the beginning.”

“He wanted me and Jessica gone and this was the best way to do it.”

“I can try but Kemp isn’t going to want to open his company up to more liability.”

“He’s already liable for the crash because there is a former employee willing to testify to the authenticity of the original memo. I think that we should approach him from a different angle. Prove to him that Daniel Hardman is the one that dredged up this memo and put his company back in jeopardy and in a media firestorm. His stock has already taken a hit in all of this. Also, Daniel isn’t the only person with friends in the DA’s office. Mention that he could be charged with depraved heart murder.”

Louis said, “That would never make it past the grand jury.”

Harvey said, “It doesn’t need to make it to trial. We just need a big splashy front –page headline. Lawrence Kemp arrested for murder. His company’s stock would take an immediate nosedive. His board of directors would dump him quickly. He’s not well liked among the board members. He’s condescending and is high-handed with everyone. Assistant District Attorney Nathan Harper would be more than willing to file charges. He intends to run for district attorney next election cycle. A move like this gets his name out there. He gets to say that he’s tough on big business.”

Louis said, “Lawrence Kemp is about to get Litt up.”

Harvey chuckled and said, “I’m glad to have you onboard, Louis. We are going to do great things as a team.”

“I’m on your team?” asked Louis, he couldn’t find his shock.

“We’re staging a coup to take over our firm together. We’re definitely a team, Louis.”

Louis said, “Thanks, Harvey. Congratulations on marrying Donna. You couldn’t have picked a better wife.”

He smiled, “No, I couldn’t.”

 

 


	11. High Roller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis confronts Travis Tanner and proves his mettle.

Louis walked into a swanky Manhattan restaurant and glanced at his watch. He only had a few hours left to complete his last task. However, this one was the most important. Harvey trusted him to approach Travis Tanner on his own. This was the big leagues and Louis wasn’t about to let Harvey down. He felt as if this was some type of audition. He needed to prove to Harvey and Julian that he could get the job done. However, closing Travis Tanner would be a herculean task. He was a slippery son of a bitch and had a serious axe to grind against Harvey. Louis tried to tell himself that he would not have been trusted with this task if they doubted his capability. Harvey could have sent Julian in his place.

Louis took several folded bills from his pocket and discreetly handed them to the maître d’.

The gray-haired man nodded and allowed Louis to pass without as much as a word. This restaurant was exclusive and you needed a reservation in most cases. However, Louis had an in with this particular maitre d’. If his information was correct, Travis was just sitting down for a meal. This was the perfect time to approach him.

Louis confidently marched up to Travis Tanner’s table and flashed an award-winning smile. Unfortunately, that smile always made him appear to be a rat. However, in this situation it might be useful. Tanner was seated alone with an impressive steak meal in front of him and a glass of wine.

Travis looked up and laughed heartily, “They sent you to settle the case. Pearson Hardman must really be desperate. I do not care whom they send to negotiate my offer remains the same. Any settlement agreement begins with Harvey Specter being fired and permanently disbarred. The dollar amount is just icing on the cake at this point. Unless you are here to discuss those stated terms there really is no reason for you to interrupt my meal.”

He picked up his knife and fork and cut into the Wagyu rib eye steak. Tanner had been dreaming about this steak all day. He took a bite and all but ignored Louis’ presence across the table from him.

Louis had a seat at the table without saying a word and produced a file folder. He opened the file and placed it atop Tanner’s plate.

Tanner’s eyes widened and he growled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

However, something on the page caught his eye and he quickly picked up the folder to read the document. The more Tanner read the tighter he held onto the file.

Louis waited smugly as the other lawyer scanned the contents of the page. Meanwhile, Louis picked up his untouched glass of wine and took a sip.

“Delicious…tastes like a Henri Jayer Richebourg Grand Cru,” Louis commented.

Tanner looked up with a startled look but quickly recovered, “Those phone records were not obtained legally. They cannot be used against me in court. All you have done is tipped your hand and it is a lousy hand. No wonder they sent you to play it. Pearson Hardman is going to have to do a much better job if they intend to blackmail me into settling.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Tanner. A former senior partner of Smith & Devane was able to procure these records quite legally. They have already been turned over to the state bar association. A lawyer is duty bound to report breaches of ethics. Julian Cohen was just doing his job. It was just fortuitous that we managed to obtain a copy from another source for our own records. We also know that you contacted the victim’s family after the first time Daniel Hardman contacted you. I am sure it was at his behest. You both had a score to settle with Harvey and this seemed the best solution. Only you did not realize that Hardman is an albatross. He dooms everyone that aligns with him. Miraculously he always seems to walk away unscathed. If you don’t believe me just ask his former mistress, Monica Eton.”

Travis’s jaw tightened at the news. Smith & Devane were in war mode as they tried to stop the flow of clients hemorrhaging from the firm. Four senior partners leaving and taking their entire client rosters with them was damaging. It sent the wrong idea to current clients and the community at large. Their reputation was plummeting and other clients were already abandoning ship. Several newspapers had run stories about Pearson Hardman’s major coup securing top lawyers from a competitor. Most of the senior partners were staying late to shore up their remaining clients. Travis was only out to dinner because he had a meeting with the plaintiffs in the Coastal Motor case. He was just enjoying dinner before meeting with them. Obviously in their panic the company failed to look at what other breaches of security might have occurred.

“Is this where I throw myself at Harvey’s mercy?” asked Travis in a snide voice but he was feeling anything but snide or confident now. Louis had him backed into a corner and he knew it.

Louis smirked, “Do you see Harvey here? You are not even on his radar. He has bigger fish to fry. You were just a pawn. Harvey wants the king. We can pretend that you didn’t know that Daniel planted the memo. Although, that isn’t very likely. You either knew or suspected that Hardman was setting up Harvey. You let your vendetta against him lead you to make a stupid decision. Therefore, to answer your question this is where you save yourself and leave Hardman holding the bag. We will offer a generous settlement to your clients because they deserve it. You get a win and then you take that win back to Smith & Devane and use it to your benefit. Lawrence Devane’s desire to see his son as managing partner is what forced Cohen, Cohen, Rosenthal, and Castillo out of the firm. He allowed hundreds of millions of dollars to walk right out of those doors. You come back with a massive settlement against Coastal Motors and suddenly maybe you aren’t just a senior partner. Maybe your name gets to be on the door.”

Tanner seriously considered the proposal. They couldn’t prove that he knew the memo was fake but if they drug that information out in court there would be no way he’d win the civil trial. He would have lost a major case and exposed Smith & Devane to a malpractice lawsuit in the process. On the other hand, settling out of court and throwing Hardman under the bus was a major win.

He asked, “What kind of settlement are we talking about?”

Louis pulled paperwork from his briefcase and said, “Take that to your client and get back to me in 4 hours. After that, this deal is off the table and you will have to take your chances in front of the judge. However, I know Judge Clark and he will crucify you for this obvious impropriety. In addition, I want a signed and notarized affidavit stating Daniel Hardman brought this case to you. You can include whatever additional details that suit you. I want that affidavit in the next 4 hours as well. If not Daniel Hardman won’t be the only one in front of the state bar association. We won’t be able to prove your complicity but you will have a black mark that will follow you. The same black mark follows Harvey. Everything you do from here on out will be suspect.”

Tanner took the settlement agreement and read it over. After several minutes he said, “You’ll have your answer in less than an hour. I am certain my client will agree to the settlement. Where should we meet?”

Louis jotted down an address and said, “I’ll expect you within the hour. If you miss the deadline don’t bother calling.”

Tanner motioned for the server to get his check, “I might as well leave now. My dinner is ruined.”

Louis said, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Tanner watched as the balding man strode out of the restaurant as if he were leading a conquering army.

As Louis walked outside Ray opened the car door for him and asked, “Where to Mr. Litt?

“I’ll be going to Marea. Do you know it?”

Ray smiled and said, “Yes, Mr. Litt.”

Louis relaxed against the leather interior and took out his phone. He called Harvey and waited for him to answer.

Harvey asked, “Should I break out the champagne? Who am I kidding? We already have a couple of bottles open.”

The lawyer smiled at Harvey’s exuberance and obvious trust him. It was as if Harvey had no doubt that Louis would close Tanner.

“Well, I’m happy to report that Tanner took the deal. He is taking the settlement offer to his clients now. He’s going to meet me at Marea in an hour with the settlement agreement and his affidavit.”

Harvey said, “I knew you’d get it done. How’d you close him, Louis?”

“I convinced him that a huge settlement might be the push he needed to make him a named partner at Smith & Devane. The spot will obviously be up for grabs.”

Harvey chuckled, “That was a brilliant move. Well, Julian and Maya are already on their way in from Manhattan. We want you here as well. Have Ray bring you back as soon as you finish your meeting with Tanner. I’ve been looking at the weather forecasts and it would appear that the city is going to be blanketed with snow as well. If you do not get out tonight, you won’t be able to get out at all. Pack a bag because we might be here for awhile.”

Louis couldn’t stop grinning. He couldn’t believe that Harvey was inviting him to stay with them in the Hamptons. This was it. He was finally being accepted into Harvey’s exclusive inner circle. He couldn’t be more pleased.

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours, Harvey.”

He ended the call and relaxed with a smug look on his face. He truly was the man.

“Ray, turn up the music please…”

The driver nodded and increased the volume on the soundtrack for Phantom of the Opera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lost my inspiration for awhile but I have found it! Enjoy. Still no beta.


	12. Bad Beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For every triumph there is a loss.

Harvey woke up the next morning with a massive hangover. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this bad after a night of drinking. There was no doubt that he consumed far too much alcohol in his jubilation. For the first time in a long time, Harvey had something to celebrate without reservations. Louis proved to be the right man for the job. He went to Travis Tanner and backed the sycophant into a corner from which there was only one desirable exit. The weight of the world was lifted from Harvey’s shoulders when Louis returned with the settlement agreement for the civil lawsuit and Travis Tanner’s notarized affidavit. No matter how any of this worked out the civil case was over and Donna would not face prosecution in a criminal court. His family was thoroughly protected.

However, Harvey was not a man that was easily pleased. He had his sights set on loftier goals now that Donna was safe. It was time to strike while the iron was hot. Forcing Daniel Hardman out of the firm would be easy once the senior partners were informed of his misdeeds. Selling out his own firm was enough for removal but the continuing theft from Pearson Hardman’s clients was sure to send him to prison. As such, Harvey reached out to a college friend that worked for the Justice Department. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw Daniel Hardman in handcuffs. That just left Jessica Pearson, his mentor and friend. His intent was to use every trick she taught him to oust her from the firm she brought him into years ago.

Harvey climbed out of the bed quietly as to not disturb Donna. She needed the rest with the amount of stress she was experiencing. He hoped the settlement agreement and affidavit would give his wife some peace.

He left the bedroom and went downstairs to the kitchen. Harvey chuckled to himself seeing the heavy blanket of snow now covering his gorgeous beach view. The weather forecast had not over exaggerated the ferocity of the storm. There was no way they would be able to make it back to the city now and that suited him just fine. He had a full house: Donna, Mike, Rachel, Julian, Maya, & Louis. He was a man that enjoyed his privacy but he was willing to make an exception. While they were snowed in, they could work on their plan to take over the firm.

Harvey started the coffee maker and turned on the television. He watched a poor meteorologist on the snow choked streets of Manhattan. The man had to be standing in at least four feet of the powdery stuff. It was an odd scene as the streets of the bustling city were all but empty. It seemed that Mother Nature had unleashed her wrath on the Northeast. They would continue to be inundated with snow and sleet for another 18 to 32 hours. Afterward the temperatures were expected to drop even lower where the risk would be freezing. It would take a couple of days for thawing and the massive dig out that would have to take place.

He looked up hearing someone walking into the kitchen.

Louis scrubbed at his face tiredly and said, “I didn’t expect you to be up this early after last night.”

The previous night was filled with laughs, old stories, and plenty of hard liquor. Louis saw a side of Harvey that he had never seen before. He also witnessed the depth of his relationship with Donna. The pair were always close but there was something different now that they were married. Louis could only assume they were holding back over the years. It made him think about Sheila Sazs. They were sleeping together on a regular basis but deep down Louis wanted more from the relationship.

Harvey smiled, “I’m an early riser regardless of how late I stay up the previous night. It is a habit. Normally, I would be running right now or working out in the gym. I guess I will have to settle for a cup of coffee and a strategy meeting.”

Louis looked out of the French doors and chuckled, “I don’t think either of us will be doing any running this morning. It figures the one time you invite me to your house in the Hamptons would be in the middle of a snowstorm. Can I ask you a question?”

“I will be sure to invite you out here next summer. Go ahead,” said Harvey as he read e-mails on his tablet.

The balding man picked up one of the fiber bars he brought along for the trip and had a seat at the island. As he unwrapped the bar he asked, “Why did you send me to close Tanner last night? Julian was still in the city. He could have done the job. Was it a test? Did you want me to prove I deserve to be a name partner?”

It was a question that had been in the back of Louis’ mind all night long.

Harvey leaned against the counter and said, “I asked you to close Tanner because I wanted you to prove to yourself what I already know. You are a damn good lawyer, Louis. You aren’t flashy and you don’t receive the accolades you deserve but if I were about to go on trial I’d want you as my lawyer. You needed to know what you are capable of as a lawyer. You doubt yourself at every step, you look to me for some sort of approval, and I am a jackass. I’ll never stop being a jackass but you can stop looking to me for approval because I approve, Louis. I chose you for our third for a reason. If I was going to have Julian at my right…I wanted you to my left. Remember that because I’ll never say it again.”

Louis couldn’t suppress the huge grin on his face. He said, “Damn, I really wish I had my digital recorder right now. I want to preserve this moment for posterity.”

“You will just have to make a mental memory and deal with it.”

Julian ambled into the kitchen looking worse for wear. He said, “The smell of fresh coffee led me to the kitchen like the sweet song of a siren. Tell me it is ready for consumption.”

Harvey gave the man a sympathetic smile and said, “Not yet. It will be ready soon. I am sure we could all use a strong cup to wake us up. We have a busy couple of days ahead of us.”

Louis said, “We have a lot to talk about. Getting rid of Jessica won’t be as easy as getting rid of Hardman. She rarely makes mistakes for enemies to capitalize on.”

Julian said, “Good thing Harvey has only just become her enemy.”

Harvey said, “First, we will use Jessica’s prior knowledge of Daniel’s financial crimes. No one will take lightly that she exposed the firm to lawsuits because of Daniel’s actions. None of this would be happening if Jessica had done the right thing in the beginning and reported him to the authorities. By all rights Hardman should have been arrested the first time we found out he was stealing from the firm. Jessica’s decisions are what brought us to this point. Like it or not we will have to pay back at least a percentage of what Hardman stole. I’ve been talking to my friend at the DOJ and he says they will freeze and seize Hardman’s assets immediately but the lion’s share is offshore. We may never recoup them.”

Louis had to agree with Harvey’s assessment. He wanted to report Hardman but Jessica had warned him off the idea. Louis respected his boss and trusted her wisdom on the situation. It had been a foolish decision on his part. Now the entire firm would suffer financial losses to cover Hardman’s debts.

He said, “That might not be enough to drum Jessica out of the firm. When Hardman came back, he confessed his sins and we all turned a blind eye to it. She could argue that we are all just as complicit in his former crime.”

Harvey said, “I am sure that will be her argument but Hardman has a patsy in place to take the heat for his embezzling. This time around, he is using Jessica as a shield. She is the managing partner and is ultimately responsible for his actions. The paper trail he has established is a flimsy cover the DOJ will be able to untangle in a matter of days. However, it will be a smudge on her stellar reputation.”

Julian could see how determined Harvey was to destroy Jessica. He had known the man for years and saw him at his worst. Jessica went too far and there was no turning back. It wasn’t enough to just remove Jessica from the firm. Harvey intended to take her apart. He could not forgive Jessica for her willingness to sacrifice Donna. That quiet rage spurred him to play his hole card.

Harvey started pouring cups of coffee for everyone and then had a seat at the island. He took a small sip of the hot brew and instantly felt a little more alert. Caffeine definitely had curative affects in certain cases.

Louis added cream and sugar to his coffee and stirred the mixture idly. There was something he wanted to ask Harvey but he didn’t want to wreck their new partnership. However, he needed to know if he was going to be an equitable partner in this alliance.

“What did you have me take out of Jessica’s safe last night?” asked Louis.

Julian sat up a little more because he was interested in that answer too.  

Harvey grabbed a blueberry muffin and took a huge bite. This was the pièce de résistance.

He said, “You brought back explicit proof that Jessica passed on confidential client information to the DEA. It was not out of the goodness of her heart or to right some grievous wrong. She made the move for the financial gain of the firm. It started not long after Daniel Hardman was forced. Everyone was nervous about the health and stability of the firm. There were rumblings of discontent from some of the clients. They we unsure of staying at a law firm managed by a young African-American woman. It is still an old boys club despite the trickles of diversity.”

Louis nearly choked on his fiber bar and looked at Harvey in disbelief. He knew Jessica skated close to the edge of the ethical boundaries but he never expected her to go this far. She respected the law. It meant something to her and she had betrayed the very tenets for her own gain.

He asked, “What company?”

Harvey explained, “The CEO of Liberty Cross Farms was intent on firing Pearson Hardman and giving his account to Smith & Devane.”

Julian whistled at that piece of news. LCF was a major player in the agriculture market and would have been the firm’s biggest client at the time.

Harvey continued, “Charles Cross was an old friend of Hardman and firing Jessica was his way of standing by him. Losing such a large account would have sent the firm into a tailspin. There would have been a mass exodus of clients after losing such a big fish. Cross could bad mouth Pearson Hardman in a way that Daniel could not. However, he was in the middle of a bitter divorce. His wife, Billie Cross, was the Chief Operating Officer and wanted to take over the company. The only way to do that was for Charles to die or go to prison. Billie knew Jessica to be a shrewd businesswoman and the two women had a great rapport. She approached Jessica with a proposal that would make both of them happy. If her husband was no longer CEO of the company Pearson Hardman would not have to worry about losing Liberty Cross Farms’ business anytime in the near future.”

Julian said, “I remember when that all went down. Lawrence was positive that we were going to land LCF and then when Cross was arrested the whole deal went away. We always wondered about the identity of the whistleblower. I assumed it was someone in the company.”

The thing about being a corporate lawyer is that to be effective you have to know where all the bodies are buried. It is never good for a lawyer to be blindsided by the truth at an inopportune time. Jessica was well aware of all LCF’s sins and had documented proof in some cases.

Harvey said, “She picked the most damning information that implicated Charles Cross in a massive drug smuggling scandal. The DEA believed it to be the work of an anonymous whistleblower and never gave the source of the information a second thought. Cross was swiftly arrested and his wife assumed his position as head of the company. However, Jessica had a need for concrete assurances. A mere verbal contract was not sufficient when she was sticking her neck out. She required Billie Cross to sign an exclusivity contract before the information on Charles was sent to the DEA. It shackled Liberty Cross Farms to Pearson Hardman for a term of 7 years.”

 Louis chimed in and said, “More importantly, it left a damning paper trail for the trained eye. Billie didn’t have the standing to sign an exclusivity contract before her husband was arrested and she ascended to power. Is that what was in the envelope?”

Harvey said, “No, the final nail in the coffin is that Jessica recorded their conversation without Billie’s knowledge. She was smart enough to know that a woman that would send her own husband to prison would surely turn on her if given the chance. The recording was an insurance policy to keep Billie honest. Jessica trusted me with her secrets and I knew she stored it in a tamper proof safe in her office. If the safe is breached, a small fire starts inside and the contents are destroyed. That wasn’t a problem for us because I have known the code for years. I will play the recording at the meeting and then turn it over to the Department of Justice. Maybe they prosecute for conspiracy or maybe she is just ruined. Either way she’ll never practice law again.”

Julian shook his head, “Remind me to never get on your bad side. You can be downright diabolical. The only thing left to do now is secure enough votes for the change in power.”

Harvey said, “Donna, Rachel, and Mike have been working on a breakdown of all the voting senior partners. Louis they could use your help with that. We’ll start contacting the partners we know will be on our side and we’ll transition to the swing votes.”

“I’ll start work on it as soon as they all get up for the day. I know a couple of people right off the bat that we should avoid because they hate you, Harvey.”

Donna walked into the kitchen and stood behind Louis. She said, “That is going to be a very long list. Harvey has made a lot of enemies.”

Louis smiled at Donna and said, “We need 26 votes to make this work. We are going to have to win over one or two people Harvey has pissed off over the years.”

“Then we target the ones that have the most to lose if the firm goes belly up,” Donna offered.

Harvey smirked, “That’s why I married her. There is no better partner for me.”

Donna chuckled, “Don’t let Mike hear you say that. He will be devastated. He thinks he’s your partner. Speaking of Mike…he wants to have a word with you in private, Harvey. He’s in our bedroom.”

He searched Donna’s face and immediately became worried. Harvey said, “I’m going to go have a word with the rookie. I’ll be back soon.”

Donna said, “Well, I am going to start breakfast because muffins and fiber bars are not going to cut it.”

Harvey walked upstairs to the master bedroom and walked in to find Mike sitting in an armchair across from the bed. He had a seat in the chair beside the younger man and looked at him expectantly.

Mike was already dressed. It would seem that he had been up for awhile. He handed Harvey and folded piece of paper.

Harvey unfolded the paper and quickly read it. “What is this?”

Mike laughed, “You don’t know a letter of resignation when you see one?”

Harvey said, “I know what it is I don’t understand why you are handing this to me.”

“Harvey, I appreciate you giving me this chance. I have loved working for you but this has to end now before things get out of hand. Jessica knows the truth about me. When all of this goes down she is going to strike back at you. I am a liability for everything you are trying to put together. It is better for me to resign while Jessica and Daniel are still in control. If she tries to out me later you can pretend that you didn’t know. The only way she can prove that you did know is by admitting that she knew. She’s not going to do that.”

Harvey said, “I am not about to let her win. You have been with me through all of this. You have helped me keep my wife out of prison. I’m not going to cut you loose now.”

Mike sighed, “That’s a great sentiment, but I’m still a liability. I have to do this, Harvey. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile but the time has come. I’ve already e-mailed my letter of resignation to Jessica and Daniel. I no longer work for Pearson Hardman.”

“What are you going to do? Have you told Rachel about this?”

“Rachel and I have talked about this for awhile, Harvey. This was never going to be a permanent thing. Someone was going to figure it out. The truth is you should have let me go when Jessica found out. I appreciate the fact that you stood up for me but it was an exposure you don’t need. Thank you for this opportunity. It has been amazing.”


	13. Fold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey struggles with Mike's revelation.

Harvey felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. He was on the verge of getting everything he wanted but he would lose the best associate at Pearson Hardman. Mike’s eidetic memory was a neat parlor trick but it was his legal knowledge and ability to think outside of the box that made him a true savant. He knew the law in a way that few people could ever imagine. Moreover, Mike was loyal. When Harvey lost a step during Donna’s exile, his associate was the one to pick up the pieces and cover his ass.

He was mostly angry with himself for not realizing that there would be collateral damage associated with getting what he wanted. Harvey knew that Mike’s assessment of the situation was correct. There was no way Mike could continue to work at the firm after Jessica was ousted. She played dirty and would not hesitate to report Mike for practicing law without a license. Reporting Mike would no doubt open Harvey up to scrutiny. These types of things didn’t require proof. Just a whiff of impropriety could be enough to drive away business.

His new empire would crumble before he even began to build it. The truth was that Mike was definitely a liability. The phrase sounded foreign and distasteful in his head. Letting Mike tender his resignation was the right decision. However, he was concerned about the young man’s prospects without his job at the firm.

When Harvey met Mike the boy was rudderless and on a path that most certainly led to prison or worse. For months, he watched the young man grow into a talented lawyer and a responsible man. He wondered if that maturity would disappear without the law firm’s influence. Or if he was being completely honest-- his influence. For months, he tried to deny it but Donna was right, Mike looked up to him and he had helped mold the man in front of him.

Mike asked, “Harvey, are you listening to me?”

“What are you going to do for money?” asked Harvey.

Mike was shocked by the question and the tone in which it was asked. He imagined it was how a father might pose the question to a son. He almost snickered at the notion but didn’t think Harvey would be amused.

“I haven’t exactly been breaking the bank on my shoebox apartment. I have saved a lot of money while working for Pearson Hardman. It’ll be enough money for me to move and start over.”

Harvey asked, “Start over how?”

“After that case with Stan Jacobson, I realized that this couldn’t last forever. I decided to enroll at a university where I could complete courses online. They let me transfer 64 credits. I have been busting my ass for the last year trying to complete enough credits for my double major. I had not set a deadline for myself but now that the takeover is happening, I have to do this now. After I complete next semester I will have enough credits to graduate. I've been researching law schools in the United Kingdom."  
  
Harvey couldn't even began to hide his shock. Mike wasn't just leaving the firm -- he was leaving the country. The older man mentally scrambled to regain his composure. Where was the patented Specter wit when he truly needed it?  
  
He had a million questions. However, he simply asked, "Why?"  
  
Mike said, "My past won't follow me there. Technically, I've broken no laws in the U.K. that would prevent me from practicing law as a solicitor or a barrister. My grades are more than good enough to get into my school of choice. I can start over there and do what I love even if it is in a foreign country."  
  
Harvey didn't like the plan but it was the logical choice. Practicing law in the United States without a license was a prosecutable offense. Moreover, it was grounds for the Bar Association to refuse licensure later when Mike legitimately met the requirements. His only option would be to practice in some hole in the road town and hope his record was never scrutinized.  
  
"What does Rachel think about all of this? She's pregnant surely she doesn't want you to take off right now."  
  
Harvey could kick himself for not so subtly throwing roadblocks in Mike's path. He would never admit this to anyone, not even Donna, but he cared a great deal for the young man. Mike's puppy dog nature and inarguable talent endeared him to Harvey.  
  
Mike said, "Rachel and I have already talked about this. She will come with me while I am attending law school. Rachel is waiting to get her LSAT scores back. If she gets her desired score, she will apply to Oxford or Cambridge. We'll both attend law school in the U.K."  
  
"I thought Rachel's dream was to attend Harvard?"  
  
"That is still an option. She can receive her degree at Cambridge and then apply for admission to Harvard's LLM program. I am considering that option as well. I’m sorry for just springing this on you but…you’ve risked everything to give me an opportunity. I will never be able to thank you enough, Harvey. I love working for you. I have learned so much about being a lawyer and being a man. I wish I hadn’t so thoroughly screwed up my life before we met. Maybe things would have turned out differently.”

Mike stood up and patted Harvey on the shoulder. Afterward he turned to leave the room.

“Mike?”

The former associate stopped walking. He turned around and asked, “Yeah?”

“If you ever need anything--anything at all--don’t hesitate to call me. I will always be here for you.”

Mike smiled. He rarely saw Harvey’s emotions so raw. He nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind but I’ll be okay. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

Harvey scoffed. “Yes, but with some questionable results. You are smarter now and you have allies. If you need something, come to me. Don’t sell pot to make ends meet. Come to me.”

“I will.”

He watched as Mike walked out of the room. Harvey sat there in silence for a long time. Eventually he heard the bedroom door open.

Donna closed the door and asked, “Are you okay?”

“You knew this was coming?” asked Harvey. He didn’t want to believe that Donna would keep such a big secret from him. However, he couldn’t keep the accusation out of his voice.

She shook her head and had seat next to Harvey. “I knew that Mike was concerned about his future. He knew working at the firm permanently wasn’t an option. I didn’t know about his resignation until he and Rachel told me this morning. What are you thinking?”

Harvey said, “The wheels are already in motion. We have reached out to people in the firm. This coup has to continue or we will all be out on our asses. If it was just my job on the line, I would try to ride the wave but I dragged Louis and Julian into this with me.”

“Mike isn’t expecting you to do that, Harvey. He doesn’t want you to do that. He resigned so that you wouldn’t have to make the hard choice.” Donna rested her hand on his knee.

“He’s a good kid…”

Donna shook her head. “He’s a good man and as much as this hurts it is the right decision for him and for all of us. You’re not going to lose him.”

Harvey shot her a look but didn’t reply.

“You’re not going to lose him, Harvey. Mike loves you and he is still going to be part of our life or I will fly across the Atlantic and kick his ass.”

Harvey asked, “What the hell am I supposed to tell Louis and Julian about why my number three is resigning?”

She asked, “Number three?”

He smiled and said, “Well, you are my number two.”

“Damn right I am. You don’t have to tell them right now. Talk it over with Mike and get your stories straight.”

Harvey opened the letter and read it over again. “The kid is smart. He worded his resignation perfectly to make Jessica believe this was in protest of your being made the scapegoat. She’s probably expecting my letter of resignation next.”

Donna said, “Well, Rachel resigned as well for the same reasons. Jessica knows that we are friends. Hopefully, it doesn’t arouse her suspicions.”

 

 

 


	14. In the Money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The coup kicks into overdrive as the pieces are moved into place.

Four days later Harvey paced the floor of his living room staring at a bulletin board covered in pictures of Pearson Hardman’s voting senior partners. Some of the pictures had large red X’s over the faces and others had large black check marks.

Since the night, Louis closed Travis Tanner the future name partners of Specter, Cohen, & Litt had been in a race against time to secure the necessary votes to oust the name partners and take over leadership of the firm.

Casting out Daniel Hardman and Jessica Pearson would be simple enough but without a clear successor, the firm would descend into a civil war as the senior partners struggled to find new managing partners. Harvey wasn’t about to let the firm he loved go the way of so many others. However, it was a delicate dance. If they approached the wrong person for support, they could run to Daniel and Jessica or worse mount an attack of their own.

Thus far, they only contacted senior partners they were sure would support them. For example, older partners more concerned about the firm falling apart and having to find a new place to call home. They also reached out to newer voting senior partners that had no chance of becoming managing partners and did not have the alliances to join a competing coup.

They steered clear of the people that hated Harvey and focused on the ones that hated Daniel Hardman and Jessica Pearson more than Harvey’s smug attitude. The pictures with red X’s were people that definitely hated Harvey, hated Louis, were loyal to Jessica, or were loyal to Daniel. It was a slow moving process that could not be rushed despite the looming deadline.

The monster storm that blanketed the majority of the northeast with snow was their only saving grace. Pearson Hardman, much like the rest of New York, was all but shut down for a few days. Harvey was like a chess master moving all of his pieces into place. The storm had moved on and by Thursday morning, everyone would have dug out and would be back to work.

Mike walked up to the bulletin board and drew a large black check mark over another face.

He said, “Louis just got off the phone with Newton. He is on board with removing Jessica and Daniel and he is more than willing to support three of you. I don’t know how Louis pulled it off but that was a major get.”

Harvey said, “Louis has a good relationship with Newton. His son was an associate at Pearson Hardman a few years ago. Louis was the one that whipped the kid into shape before he moved to a firm in California. He’s a great entertainment lawyer.”

Julian was sitting on the couch drinking a glass of scotch. He looked battle worn but comfortable in his casual blue jeans and Rolling Stones’ t-shirt. He said, “We just need 3 more votes to have a clear majority.”

Mike’s eyes scanned over the board and said, “No, we have all the votes that we need now. I think you aren’t counting Harvey, Louis, and yourself in the count because your pictures aren’t on the board.”

Julian rubbed at his eyes trying to rid himself of the fatigue. He stared at the board again and said, “Harvey, you’re lucky to have this one. He is right. I forgot to count our votes. This is real. We have the votes locked into place.”

Louis walked into the room eating a fiber bar. He said, “This doesn’t take into account the votes that will fall our way once they learn what Daniel and Jessica have been doing.”

Mike quipped, “All hail the conquering heroes.”

Harvey said, “I want security on hand to remove them from the premises as soon as the vote is complete. Jessica will try to take her clients with her and that cannot happen. As soon as she is out we need to be on the phone with her clients.”

Julian said, “On the phone isn’t enough. As soon as the vote is over, we need bodies on the doorsteps of her top clients. The smaller accounts can get phone calls but the larger names need a personal touch or they will drop Jessica and our firm.”

Harvey said, “Her biggest clients are Titan Industries, Forrester Agriculture, Lennox-Morris International, and Weatherfield Telecommunications. We need to handle Titan as a three-man team. They are the firm’s single biggest client. I can handle Lennox-Morris International. I helped Jessica land their account. She has pawned them off on me more than a few times. Mrs. Lennox is still CEO of the company and she adores me. I will try to catch her at the lunch. She always eats at the same place on Friday afternoon.”

Louis said, “I can work with Forrester Agriculture. Their biggest issue of late has been of the financial sort. I can take Donald Barlow with me. He has a lot of experience with them.”

“Well, that leaves Weatherfield for me. I will bone up on the company and their files. I will be ready to meet with them on Friday afternoon.”

Harvey continued to pace the floor as he worked his strategy in his mind. He wanted to make sure that he didn’t forget anything. A misstep could cause this house of cards to come crashing down.

Louis said, “Along with making sure Jessica and Daniel are out of the building we should have their offices disassembled and sanitized of Pearson Hardman files. We can’t be there for that but…”

Julian said, “I trust Maya but she doesn’t know the firm well just yet.”

“Well, if we are putting wives in charge of things then Donna would be a good counterpart for Maya. She knows the firm backwards and forwards. She will be able to help shut it all down. Mike, I want you assisting Maya and Donna. You can read documents faster than either of them. We can lock them out of the electronic files but nothing on paper can leave the firm. Everything is inspected before it is turned over to Jessica and Daniel.”

Mike’s eyes widened since he had already handed in his resignation. He didn’t understand what Harvey was playing at but he couldn’t address it with Louis and Julian in the room.

Louis said, “Norma will be waiting for the sign manufacturers to arrive. Out with the old and in with the new. I also have Sheila Sazs on standby. If we lose lawyers in the shakeup we’re going to need a headhunter to replace them quickly.”

Harvey smiled at Louis but didn’t say anything. He knew the man was infatuated with Sheila Sazs. He had heard stories about their odd relationship from Mike.

Julian said, “That is a great move. We know that we are going to lose some lawyers. We are going to have a long road ahead of us but it is worth it.”

Donna walked into the room and said, “I know that your war council is still meeting but all of you need to eat dinner. It is time.”

Harvey smiled and kissed Donna on the lips, “I guess that we could all take a break to eat dinner. It smells great.”

She smiled, “Don’t expect me to cook for you every day just because we’re married. I’m only cooking now because you need sustenance.”

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to cook for me every day. In any case, when everything goes to plan you will be back to work Friday with the rest of us. I can’t take over the firm without my best ally at my side.”

Donna grinned, “You’re right about that. You are hopeless without me, Specter. I think we are going to need the can opener for this one.”

Then men headed into the dining room where the table was already set and covered with food. Donna, Rachel, and Maya had cooked most of the food in the freezer because they would be leaving in the morning.

Harvey stared out the window at the snow-covered ground and smiled to himself. That storm couldn’t have come at a better time. It left him stranded with Louis in the Hamptons but the three future partners were able to use that time wisely. Harvey would never admit this but it also brought him closer to Louis, which was necessary if this three-way partnership was going to work. He didn’t want them to be adversarial like Jessica and Daniel. This was no longer about just keeping Donna out of jail. Specter, Cohen, & Litt would be his legacy and would provide for his child for years to come.

Mike said, “I don’t know what to eat first. I want some of all of it. This is better than a Thanksgiving meal.”

He was already serving himself and passing the platters around the table so that everyone else could do the same.

Louis poured a glass of wine and passed the bottle around the table as well.

Harvey said, “I’ve seen you eat, rookie. I’m sure that you will eat some of all of it.”

Mike chuckled, “I’m still a growing boy. Not everyone is middle aged like you, Harvey.”

Donna’s eyes widened and then she scowled at Mike, “Harvey and I are the same age. Are you calling me middle age?”

Mike smirked, “Women live longer than men so you reach middle age later than men do. You have years to go, Donna. Have I mentioned that you look stunning?”

Donna laughed, “Very nice save, Mike.”

Rachel smiled, “That’s why I’m dating him. He’s quick on his feet.”

Harvey said, “I want to make a toast. The people at this table are the only people I truly trust. Each of you has played a significant part in making this coup work. I couldn’t have a better set of allies.”

Mike smiled when he realized that Harvey was looking squarely at him. He raised his glass in Harvey’s direction and gave a small nod of his head.

 


	15. Beard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike reaches out to a friend for a little assistance.

Mike glanced at his watch as he strolled into the IT Department carrying two cups of coffee and two massive cranberry scones. It was just 6 AM so he didn’t anticipate running into anyone except for Benjamin. Normally, the IT staff didn’t arrive until 9 AM. However, with the city struggling to recover from the unexpected winter storm it was possible that more than a few staff members would be unable to make it to the office until later in the morning.

Most of the lights in the department were off and there were no windows so there was no natural light coming in. However, there was a soft glow coming from one of the offices. He approached Benjamin’s office and smiled seeing the man staring at his computer screen intently.

Mike nudged the door open with his hip. “Hey. I’m sorry for getting you up so early.”

Benjamin glanced up and flashed a warm smile. “Good morning, Michael. It is for a good cause so I don’t mind. How was your time in the Hamptons?”

Mike said, “It was enlightening to say the very least. I brought your favorite coffee and a cranberry scone. They were just coming out of the oven when I stopped at the coffee shop. I hope that is okay.”

“It is more than okay. I could use a little coffee. I have been here since you called me at 3:00 to say that the plan was still moving forward. I’ve been thinking about the plan I don’t think it works.”

Mike placed their breakfast on the desk and walked around so he was standing near Ben.  “Well, let’s talk it through. This is your area of expertise so Harvey is willing to defer to your ideas. What did we miss? I mean a blanket block on their ID numbers would stop them from accessing any files here or from home, right?”

Benjamin calmed down a little hearing that they were at least willing to listen to his ideas. He said, “The initial idea was to terminate Ms. Pearson and Mr. Hardman’s access to the firm’s digital files. Doing that would render their access credentials useless. They wouldn’t be able to access any of the files from here or remotely. However, that doesn’t stop them from procuring someone else’s credentials. Someone aligned with them could access the files and make copies or upload them onto a flash drive. You said yourself that I should be waiting to block the numbers of any lawyers that decide to leave the firm. You may not be able to give me enough warning or someone could slip through the cracks. There are a lot of lawyers in this building and I get the feeling the fallout from this is going to be on biblical proportions.”  

Mike’s eyes darkened in realization. It was a major oversight on their part. Jessica and Daniel only needed to find one willing ally and they would be able to use their information to access all of the firm’s files. Harvey wasn’t concerned with one or two junior partners trying to leave the firm with their clients. It wouldn’t be a very big loss even if they succeeded. However, Jessica and Daniel had a reputation to trade on which meant they could cripple the firm before they ever got off the ground. He said, “We need to have a change of plans. Can you fake a system wide outage until we find out who can be trusted?”

Ben grinned. “Well, that is where your friend Lola came in. I ran the problem by her this morning. She helped me write a non-lethal virus to upload into the system remotely. It will look like someone from outside Pearson Hardman tried to hack in. The system has a failsafe against malicious attacks. It shuts itself down completely while the attack is taking place. Lola can start the attack while the vote is happening. When the partners come out of the vote, no one will be able to access anything. Once you are certain who is loyal to the new managing partners I can reset the system and restore everyone’s access. I already have the new website set up and ready to go. Once we know the vote was successful everything will go live.”

Mike smiled brightly. “I am lucky to have you and Lola as friends. Thank you for doing this. I know that you had no reason to take my request seriously.”

“Daniel Hardman is stealing from our clients and from the charity this firm started. I believe in that charity. I donate to it every year. That’s my money he’s stealing and Ms. Pearson allowed it to happen because she didn’t report him the first time she caught his hands in the coffers. That’s poor leadership. I love working here. I won’t see it run into the ground by anyone. Not even the two names on the wall.”

Mike had a seat and took a sip of his coffee. “How much sleep have you had?”

Ben shrugged and said, “Plenty. I went to bed early last night anticipating today would be a big day. I didn’t know I’d get woken up at 3 AM but it is just as well that I did. It gave me time to go over the plan one more time in my head.” He bit into his scone and looked as if he was in thought.

Mike asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”

He asked, “Are you really resigning?”

Mike’s smile faded momentarily. He nodded. “Being in New York after losing my grandmother is just too hard. I need to put some distance between myself and all of the bad memories for awhile.”

He didn’t feel bad for using his grandmother’s death because it wasn’t really a lie. There were so many painful memories for Mike here. There were so many places in the city he could remember visiting with his parents or his grandmother. Sometimes those memories made him happy and other times it only served to remind him just how alone, he truly was. His desire to start over wasn’t just about his desire to remove himself as a liability to Harvey’s dreams.  

Ben nodded in understanding. He said, “After my gran died I had a hard time visiting her house out on Staten Island. It felt like she was in every room. I never said anything to my parents but I was glad when my grandfather decided to sell house. It made it easier for me to visit him. Where are you going to go? You’re New York born and bred. I don’t exactly see you moving to Boston.”

Mike said, “Actually, I’ve been thinking of moving a little further east.”

Ben’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to unpick that statement. “London?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Ben shrugged and said, “That’s not so far away. A woman that lives in my building actually works in London. She’s here on the weekends.”

“That was my thinking on the matter. I’m not trying to run away. I still have friends here I would like to stay in touch with. When I come home on the weekends the two of us could go out for a pint.”

The other man laughed. “Already picking up the lingo, huh?”

Mike smirked. “I want to blend in.”

Ben shook his head and drank some of his coffee.


	16. Chalk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey returns to Pearson Hardman loaded for bear.

Thursday afternoon Harvey, Louis, and Julian walked into Pearson Hardman wearing their best suits and looking like they were ready to take over the world. Mother’s Nature inconvenient winter storm provided the time they needed to get their proverbial ducks in a row. They had a game plan that they intended to follow to the letter. There was no room for error because failure would land all of them in a stew they weren’t likely to get out of easily. All three men were locked into ironclad non-compete agreements with Pearson Hardman. They wouldn’t be able to practice anywhere if Jessica or Daniel fired them for staging a failed coup.

He had confirmation from Mike that their plan for foiling Jessica and Daniel’s attempt to take clients with them was firmly in place.

Harvey looked at Louis when the elevator doors closed and the car began to travel up to their floor. He said, “I don’t care if you have to conference senior partners in on cell phones, you make sure we have a quorum. This vote happens at precisely 1:30.”

Louis looked up from his watch and said, “That won’t be a problem. I just got a text from Norma. All twenty-six of our guaranteed votes are already present now that we’ve arrived. A quorum is only 30 senior partners. I can pull four senior partners out of a hat. Some senior partners still haven’t made it back to the city because of the bad weather. You just need to keep Jessica busy while I get everyone into the conference room.”

Harvey smirked. “Oh, that won’t be a problem, Louis. She has yet to congratulate me on my wedding. I’m sure that will give us plenty to talk about.”

Julian shook his head. It was rare seeing unadulterated joy on Harvey’s face. He said, “I’ll keep Hardman occupied. He’s already made overtures over text message. He wants to be sure I’m not so firmly in Jessica’s camp that I can’t be swayed.”

Harvey straightened his tie as the express elevator arrived at their floor. He smiled. “Let the games begin, gentlemen.”

The three men exited the elevator and went in opposite directions. Harvey walked down the hall to Jessica’s office.

Despite the transportation issues the city was still battling, there was no doubt that she was already in for the day. She was preparing to go to war against Daniel and that meant she had to be the first to arrive and the last to leave.

Harvey was certain that the winter storm had thrown Jessica off her game for a few days. Being trapped at home meant that her maneuvering was limited. He stopped in front of her office door and smiled seeing her sitting at her desk. Harvey raised his hand and knocked to catch her attention.

Jessica looked up from a stack of files on her desk. Her jaw twitched slightly seeing Harvey at her door. She beckoned him in and sat back in her chair.

He pushed open the glass door and flashed a pleasant smile. “Good afternoon, Jessica.”

She frowned. “It is wonderful that you’ve decided to grace us with your presence, Harvey. I was beginning to wonder if you still worked here. Where the hell have you been?”

Harvey looked innocently. “Well, I thought about what you said. You were right…I was not at my best and I needed to figure out how to get myself together. I took a little time off to do that.”

“And are you better? Are you ready to focus on this trial? We’re fighting for our lives here, Harvey. I need to know that you are onboard. I need to know that you see things clearly.”

He flashed a genuine smile. “I’ve never been more clear in my life. You could say my time away was a curative.”

She eyed him suspiciously because something seemed off about him. Jessica knew Harvey well and he was doing a great job of hiding his true expression but there were cracks beneath his well-crafted mask. “Where have you been?”

“I’ve been on my honeymoon,” said Harvey, he let the statement hang in the air. He really did like getting the better of people. It was why he liked negotiating settlements more than going to trial.

Jessica stared at him waiting for the punch line but quickly realized that there wasn’t one. Her eyes automatically sought out his left hand and sure enough, the glint of metal caught her attention. She stood up. “Tell me this was some drunken mistake in Las Vegas. We can have annulment papers drawn up before lunch.”

“No. Although, I wish I thought of that when I decided to get married. She would have had the time of her life in Las Vegas. More’s the pity. Maybe I can take her there for our anniversary next year. The first anniversary is plastic, right? I’d bet Donna would love chips for our anniversary.”

Jessica eyes widened and she stared at him for several moments. She needed to collect herself before saying anything to Harvey. The managing partner knew well enough that her relationship with Harvey was in a precarious place. She saw how quickly he spiraled out of control when she informed him that he would have to testify against Donna. She didn’t relish causing him pain but they were at war. There would be collateral damage.

She rose from her chair and shook her head. “Marrying Donna will not keep her out of prison, Harvey. All you’ve done is attached yourself to an anchor that is going to drag you down with her. I thought you were smarter than this. I taught you to be smarter than this. She’s dead weight and you need to cut her loose.”

Harvey’s eyes darkened and the playful glint all but disappeared. However, he kept a faux smile plastered on his lips. “She’s pregnant.”

Jessica’s jaw dropped. “Pregnant? You can’t be serious.”

He walked over to her impressive collection of liquor and picked up a bottle of Macallan. He poured both of them two fingers of scotch and carried the glasses over to Jessica. “I am quite serious. I’m going to be a father.”

Harvey took a sip of his drink and then fished into his pocket for something. He pulled out a sonogram picture and handed it to Jessica. “We got that this morning when we went to her doctor. I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking at but her doctor assures me there is a fetus somewhere in that sea of gray.”

Jessica took the picture from his hand and stared at it intently. She shook her head. “Of all the irresponsible things you’ve done, Harvey. I won’t be able to save you from this if you are hell-bent on protecting Donna. Someone is going to take the fall for this. Are you willing to be that person?”

She continued to stare at the picture. Jessica knew all too well the sacrifices that came with being the best at what you do. She never had children and her marriage fell apart. Not having children was a conscious decision on her part but losing her husband was not.

Harvey took another sip of his scotch. He had a seat on Jessica’s couch and draped his arm across the back. He snapped. “My child will not be born in prison. I don’t care if I have to take everyone down with me. You said weeks ago that you would try to figure something out…you didn’t.”

Jessica eyed Harvey for a moment. She took a seat next to him and touched his knee. “I’m sorry that you are hurting, Harvey. I love you and you know that. Under normal circumstances, I would move heaven and earth for the mother of your child but everything I have built is at risk. This firm is my life…”

Harvey didn’t know why he’d hoped for a different response. He badly wanted Jessica to have a change of heart but her choice was clear. He said, “Well, it isn’t mine, not anymore. I’ll fight this suit with all my might but I will not throw Donna under the bus. I will not testify against her. You will get Daniel Hardman’s pit-bull prosecutor friend to back off or I will sink all of us. I will say that I buried the evidence because Daniel told me to do it.”

Jessica’s jaw twitched in anger. She stared at him for a moment before drinking the rest of her scotch. “Don’t be so dramatic, Harvey. There’s no need to go that route. We’ll work together and figure something else out. I’ll talk to Daniel about calling off the prosecutor. I don’t know if he can or will at this point, but I will try.”

He nodded coolly and said, “Thank you for the help, Jessica.”

She smiled tightly. “I will always help you, Harvey. I know the last two months hasn’t been easy on you. Things would have gone differently if Daniel hadn’t returned when he did.”

Harvey bit back a snide remark because it would tip his hand. However, he knew now that it was no coincidence that this shit storm started after Daniel Hardman reclaimed his position. The reprobate set the wheels into motion before he ever stepped foot back into the firm.

Jessica asked, “So the marriage is real then?”

He nodded. “I married Donna because I love her. I decided to stop worrying about recreating the trauma my parents’ marriage caused before I lose the best thing that ever happened to me. No one has ever kept me on my toes like Donna and her dedication to me is unparalleled. She made the wrong choice that day but it was with my well-being at heart. Donna sacrificed everything for me.”

She asked, “Refill?”

Harvey nodded. “Sure.”

Jessica picked up Harvey’s glass and went to refill them. She returned to the couch a moment later. “Despite everything that is going on I am happy for you, Harvey. I guess I didn’t realize how serious you were with Donna. You managed to keep that relationship well hidden. I didn’t even have the slightest inkling until the mock trial.”

Harvey accepted the glass and took a drink. He shrugged. “I’m a senior partner. I didn’t think it was a good idea to publically date my assistant. It doesn’t exactly set a great precedent. Moreover, you know how the rumor mill works around here. It is like working with a bunch of eighth graders. Everyone would have gawked at us like a carnival sideshow.”

She nodded in understanding. The romantic life of senior partners was always fodder for office gossip. Moreover, if there were continuing the middle school comparisons, Harvey and Donna were most definitely the popular kids.

Jessica cleared her throat. “I am assuming that Mike told you he submitted his letter of resignation.”

Harvey nodded solemnly. “Yes, he told me that he was resigning.”

She studied the look on his face. “I take it this was an unexpected turn of events for you. I know I was certainly shocked when I received the e-mail.”

“I suppose it shouldn’t have been a shock but it was. The reality of the situation is that he can’t continue this farce forever. Recently, he’s begun to think about his future. He doesn’t want that future to include living a lie.”

Jessica nodded. “That’s a mature decision for him to make. I don’t think it is one that a lot of people would have made in his position. He’s leaving a lot of money behind. My understanding is that his life was particularly desolate before he began working here.”

He nodded. “Mike is a smart kid that has made some mistakes. He’ll find his own way. I’m put out that I’m losing a great associate. No one is going to be as good as Mike. Could you talk to Louis about picking one of his better associates for me?”

Harvey decided it was best to maintain the status quo of Jessica having to play referee for the two of them. Although, she’d learn the truth soon enough. He glanced at his watch and realized it was 1:28. He finished his glass of scotch and popped a couple mints into his mouth.

Daniel Hardman breezed into her office. “What the hell are you trying to pull, Jessica?”

Jessica stood up and frowned. “I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about, Daniel.”

He growled. “Cut the bullshit. I just found out that the senior partners are gathering in the conference room or an immediate vote. Now I find you here conspiring with your lap dog. What the hell are you up to?”

She looked genuinely shocked. “Who called this vote?”

Daniel’s face sobered a little as he realized she was just as in the dark as he was. “It’s happening. I heard rumors that someone was staging a coup but they were just murmurs and I didn’t hear any names.”

Jessica said, “We need to find out who is behind this and quickly. We’ll stall the vote as long as we can by making sure we don’t have a quorum. Harvey, I need you to tell the senior partners to get out of the building. Get Louis and his associates moving on this.”

Harvey stood up and brushed off his suit pants. He touched Jessica’s arm gently. “Don’t worry Jessica; I will take care of this. I am sure Louis is in his office. I’ll start coordinating with him.”

She smiled appreciatively. “Thank you Harvey.”

He nodded and walked around Daniel Hardman to exit the office. He smirked.

 

 


	17. Exposure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An empire crumbles

The conference room was buzzing as the senior partners conferred with one another about the rumors floating around Pearson Hardman. They all knew the information had to be damaging to warrant the removal of a name partner. Of course, everyone jumped to the conclusion that Daniel Hardman was stealing from the firm’s clients again. Even without the facts, the majority of the senior partners were eager for Hardman to be gone. Every day they remained complicit with his larceny the firm’s chances of survival sunk lower.

However, there were a few Hardman loyalists in the room. Louis was sure to chat them up and exploit the fact that Hardman made him a senior partner. He needed to know if they would flee the firm once Daniel was ousted. He made note of those senior partners that appeared amenable to abandoning the firm. Their names would be forwarded to Benjamin in IT and the head of security, Nate. Their accounts would be terminated and security would be standing outside their offices to prevent them from stealing physical files.  

Louis looked up when the door to the conference room opened. It was already 1:30 and he was beginning to get a little antsy. They needed to this show on the road.

Harvey walked into the room and motioned for Louis to meet him at the opposite end of the room where Julian was standing.

Louis maneuvered through the crowded room and met Harvey and Julian in the corner.

Harvey said, “Jessica and Daniel know about the vote. The rumors are already spreading through the halls like wildfire. I don’t know if it is our people talking or the other senior partners we called in for the vote. Jessica asked me to get your help in stalling the vote by getting the senior partners to walk out. Is everything ready to go?”

Louis nodded. “We have all fifty senior partners on hand for the vote. We’re ready to get started. We were only waiting on you. Julian and I have been reading the room and it seems a lock that Hardman is out...”

Harvey nodded and stepped up to the large podium at the front of the room. Julian and Louis followed him after firing off quick text messages to set wheels in motion. The two men flanked Harvey as he knocked on the podium to get everyone’s attention.

The conversations in the room ground to the halt and all of the lawyers sat down in anticipation of what Harvey was about to say.

Harvey said, “I am glad that everyone weathered that nasty storm and was able to make it here today. I take no joy in informing all of you that much like this great city Pearson Hardman will also be weathering a storm. However, I know the character of the men and women in this room and I know that we will preserve if we all band together. This meeting was called because both name partners have put us all at risk. They have exposed us to lawsuits and perhaps criminal investigations.”

The room started buzzing again at the mention of both name partners being on the hot seat.

Jessica and Daniel walked into the room but didn’t say anything. They had raced around trying to find out anything about the coup but came up empty because all of the senior partners were already in the conference room. When Harvey ignored her frantic text messages Jessica realized what was going on. Now they stood to the side of  room watching everything unfold. For once, they would have to be each other’s ally.

Jessica couldn’t believe that it was Harvey and Louis making this play against them. She would have never in a million years expected this from either man. Over the years, she mentored both of them. Jessica had been so concerned about losing the firm to Daniel that she didn't see the writing on the wall. 

Harvey's eyes locked onto Jessica's and he saw the anger and pain that lived there. There was part of him that felt guilty but it was only a small part. If she was feeling betrayed then she could only begin to understand what he felt. Harvey had very nearly lost himself when Jessica insisted he testify against Donna. Not only did she insist but she threatened to throw her full weight behind crushing Donna and him if he refused. It was heavy handed and unnecessary but also spoke to her desperation to remain the managing partner. Harvey only did what she taught him by using that desperation against her. 

Louis motioned to three of his most trusted junior associates. They were each holding stacks of portfolios. They began distributing the information to each senior partner in the room.

Harvey continued. “Today, Louis, Julian, and I are going to present all of you with concrete evidence of wrong-doing on the parts of Jessica Pearson and Daniel Hardman. We believe that after viewing this evidence that a majority of you will agree with our determination that they must be removed from the firm permanently. I am sure that you can all guess that the three of us would like to take their place. The packets you are being handed contained evidence of wrongdoing on the parts of Jessica and Daniel. The originals have been turned over to the proper authorities because this could no longer remain an in house matter. I will give everyone some time to peruse the information we’ve just given you.”

Jessica stood there with a face like thunder. Her dark eyes bored holes into Harvey as she listened to his appeal. She didn’t need to be told that this was payback for trying to scapegoat Donna. All of the pieces that didn’t quite make sense started to come together and the picture was now clear. Harvey had been planning this move from the moment he disappeared for his ‘honeymoon’. It also explained Mike Ross and Rachel Zane’s abrupt need for a vacation. Even Julian bringing three senior partners from Smith & Devane with him had been a calculated move. The timing all made perfect sense now. She laughed joylessly as she realized everything was coming down around her. Jessica knew that Harvey wouldn’t try a move like this unless he was certain that she would be ousted. The chance of retribution would be too great. 

Daniel glared at her. “You made him a senior partner. He’s running you out just like you did me…except worse. Aren’t you proud? You created a monster, Dr. Frankenstein.”

She shook her head and glared at Daniel. “Your hand is in this as well. You made Louis a senior partner, Daniel. Harvey needed a second name partner that has been here longer than Julian has and has good standing in the firm. Louis was the perfect candidate and you made him a damn senior partner! We both facilitated this coup. You had better hope they don’t really have proof of anything.”

Daniel reached out and snatched two portfolios from Kyle Durant as he passed.  He handed one to Jessica and then began to skim the material. “I guess I better look at what they have.”

He closed his eyes as he came across the affidavit from Travis Tanner. There were phone records from Smith & Devane to corroborate the story. However, it was the records implicating him and Jessica of stealing from Pearson Hardman’s charity and their clients that really caught his eye. Some senior partners might be able to forgive stealing from the firm once but it was unlikely that anyone would be compassionate enough to forgive a second indiscretion. He was out of the door and if this information was handed over to the authorities he would need to make a quick exit to avoid prosecution.

Harvey said, “I don’t think that I need to rehash what is already presented to you. All of you know what this means. Daniel Hardman and by extension Jessica Pearson have exposed this firm to lawsuits and possible criminal investigations. Make no mistake even with cleaning house we will lose clients. Our reputations will be tarnished because of their actions. All of us are guilty by association. However, we can try to minimize the damage by distancing ourselves from these albatrosses. I care for Jessica deeply. As you all know she has been my mentor for over 20 years. However, I cannot abide the way she has been managing this firm. She has allowed Daniel to make a mockery of us for a second time. She is implicated in his embezzlement. Although, I know Jessica and I refuse to believe that she would ever steal a dime. It is my belief that Daniel is using her as a patsy to help cover his tracks. However, even if that is the case she has allowed this to take place. I say no more. It is time for a change. First, we will take care of the business of voting to remove Daniel Hardman and Jessica and Pearson.”

Louis stepped forward. “All of you will find a form in your portfolios. We will do a roll call vote. Please indicate your vote on that form and sign it. We want this to be fair and we want no questions about the legitimacy of this vote. Carol Abernathy.”

“Yes.”

“Marcus Anderson.”

“Yes.”

The time passed slowly as Louis called the names of all 50 senior partners. Each person called out their vote and then handed their completed form to one of the associates standing by. The final tally was 46 senior partners in favor of removing Jessica and Daniel and 4 senior partners against.

Harvey said, “Now we move on to the second vote. No matter how this one turns out, I want to let all of you know that I am proud that we stood up and did the right thing. Louis, Julian, and I have many grand plans for this firm. We want to see it grow and flourish. We will fight any lawsuits that come our way. We each have at least 15 years practicing law. Unlike partnerships in the past, we will work in concert…not against one another. Julian and I would share the managing partner duties while Louis focuses on our finances. There are some clients we are going to have to pay back. We are hoping that we can settle with them out of court. This firm will take a hit…but it isn’t a knock out. We can survive it. Let’s vote…”

Jessica and Daniel both exited the room. There was no sense in pleading their cases. It was over.

Daniel said, "No one in that room is going to help us. There is no sense in arguing about who is more at fault. The simple truth is that we've both been booted out on our asses. We need to make the best of this and work together. We'll leave the firm but I say we take our biggest clients with us. We can make them take us to court over the non-compete clause in our contracts. By then the clients we steal will have been in limbo for so long they will drop Pearson Hardman. It doesn't matter if we win, as long as they lose."

Jessica slapped him. "You brought this down on us by setting Harvey up to begin with! He wouldn't have staged this coup if his wife's freedom weren't on the line."

Daniel grabbed her and said, "Put aside your anger and hear me. We are done...let's cause as much damage as we can on the way out."

She hissed. "Fine. We can use the computer in my office to download all of our clients' files onto a flashdrive. Let's go."

Daniel and Jessica quickly marched to her office. She ran around her desk and pulled a flash drive out. She put it into the computer and then tried to access their digital database. She tried several times and growled in frustration. 

Daniel was in the process of grabbing the physical files but spun around hearing her growl. "Problem?"

"My creds aren't working. Give me yours!"

He shook his head. "They probably locked us out in anticipation. No matter...I know Louis's by heart." 

Jessica watched as Daniel crossed the room and entered Louis' information into the system. However, they didn't work either. 

Donna walked into the room with Rachel and two security guards at her side. She smiled pleasantly. "I think you will find that Pearson Hardman is experiencing a system wide outage at the moment."

Rachel walked over and picked up the stack of files that Daniel had placed on the edge of the desk. "I'm sorry but these don't belong to you."

Donna said, "I'm afraid I am going to have to ask both of you to leave. You may not take anything from this building that does not expressly belong to you. None of Pearson Hardman's work product will leave with you. Security will watch you pack your belongings."

Daniel glared at Jessica. "You trained him well."

Jessica groused. "Too well."


	18. Off the Board

Jessica stood on the rooftop gazing out at the skyline. She always liked coming up here even before her name was on the wall. Seeing the greatness of Manhattan laid out before her was like a promise of the greatness she could achieve. It seemed fitting that this should be the place that she said goodbye to the firm that she loved and the dreams she dreamed.

It was no easy feat for an African-American woman to climb the ladder even in this day and age. There were always roadblocks and prejudices. Despite so many advancements the upper echelons of law was still an old boys club. An African-American woman did not become managing partner of a major Manhattan law firm by some struck of luck. Jessica had kicked down so many doors and endured so much bullshit to get to where she was. Now it had all been ripped from her because of Daniel Hardman. She regretted ever casting her lot in with his.

She heard a door open and close behind her. Jessica didn’t turn around, she didn’t need to. Harvey knew that this place was her refuge from the storm. It was where she came to collect herself. She would need to be clearheaded to forge a new path because this one had ended abruptly. Jessica would almost be proud of the way he so thoroughly defeated her if her life wasn’t lying in shambles at the moment.

Harvey walked over to Jessica and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He rocked back on his heels staring out at the city. It was a completely new world and he hoped that he wasn’t leading his firm toward catastrophe. He had been thinking about what to say to her. There was a lot on his mind. There was so much that needed saying but it hardly seemed the time or place.

“I thought that I might find you up here. Your belongings have been sanitized of all Pearson Hardman material. You can take them when you leave. I made sure your tea set was packed safely. Everything was handled with care.”

“What about Daniel?”

He cleared his throat. “I had the FBI on hand to arrest him before he ever left the building. During our research we found out that he had a place in Argentina. I couldn’t risk him fleeing the country. We need him behind bars so that we can recoup at least some of the funds he stole from the firm and our clients. His accounts have already been frozen.”

Jessica’s gaze never left the skyline even as she felt tears prick her eyes. “Did you come up here to gloat or to tell me that it is time to go? Are you going to have security escort me from the building?”

“No, I don’t think there is any need for security to walk you out. Honestly, I’m not sure why I am here. I feel like I owe you some sort of explanation but I know you are smart enough to figure out the why this happened. You once told me to come in the night because that’s when they’re sleeping. I thought that was dishonest and disloyal. I didn’t understand the lesson you were trying to teaching me that day. I understand it now.”

“What lesson do you think I was trying to teach you that day?” asked Jessica.

Harvey said, “You were teaching me that I couldn’t trust anyone…even you.”

Jessica swallowed thickly and turned to look at Harvey. She saw the hurt in his eyes and it shocked her. She expected to see smug satisfaction or fury.

Jessica said, “Everything you are is because of things I have done for you. I got you here, Harvey! Never fix your mouth to say that you can’t trust me. I made you a senior partner even though it should have been Louis. I allowed a fraud to practice law at my firm because you threatened to leave and I couldn’t imagine losing you. I have always had your best interest at heart!”

“Until now…”

Jessica shook her head and her shoulder slumped. “What was I supposed to do? We stood to lose everything if we lost that lawsuit. I’m not just talking about you and me. The firm would have been on the ropes as well, Harvey. You can be mad at me for my choices but Donna is the one that destroyed that memo. If she hadn’t done that we could have fought Daniel and Tanner. Without the memo we didn’t have a leg to stand on.”

Harvey said, “I understood why Donna had to be fired. What I couldn’t get behind was sending her to prison. I wasn’t going to allow that to happen even before I found out she was pregnant. I love her, Jessica. I told you that I loved her and you doubled down. You told me that not only would she be prosecuted but also I was expected to testify against her and if I didn’t you would come after of us with the full power of Pearson Hardman. Those aren’t the words of someone that has my best interest in heart.”

“Daniel is the one that was pushing for prosecution. The mock trial tipped him to the true nature of your relationship with Donna. He didn’t just want to take away your license…he wanted to take everything from you. I couldn’t stop him so all I could do was play defense. When you have an infected limb, you cut it off to save the rest of the body. I was trying to save you. I could have cut you loose but I didn’t. I never intended to really go after you and Donna. I just wanted you to take away your choices. I didn’t want you to blame yourself for whatever happened to Donna. I was willing to be the scapegoat. I was willing to take your anger and your rage instead of it being focused in on yourself. I have seen you hate yourself and I have seen how it nearly destroyed you. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I was just in damage control mode.”

Harvey said, “That’s the part you don’t get. Donna isn’t expendable to me. I paid her salary out of my own pocket because even then the thought of losing her was unfathomable.”

She sighed and looked at him with sad eyes. She would never admit it to anyone but Harvey was like her surrogate son. That was the only reason this hurt so much. She could have braved a takeover from anyone other than Harvey. She felt like their history owed her just a modicum of loyalty. “Are you going to use it?”

Harvey asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid, Harvey. You don’t think I checked my safe? I know that you have it. Are you going to use it?”

He said, “I thought about it. I thought about it when I felt it wasn’t enough to just take your firm. I thought about it when I wanted to punish you for the agony you put Donna and me through these last few weeks. I thought about burning everything you love to the ground because that was the only possible way to make me whole after what happened, but then I realized I was being petty and punitive. I would be no better than Hardman. Turning you in wouldn’t be righting some wrong…Charles Cross deserved to go to prison. His wife, Billie, has kept LCF’s business dealings clean. I have no reason to try to ruin your life or hers. I’ve made a copy of the information but it will be returned to you. I’ll never use it as long as you never breathe a word about Mike’s situation.”

Jessica searched his eyes hoping to find honesty there. When she was satisfied that he was being truthful she nodded. “Mike didn’t really leave me room for much maneuvering. He resigned while I was still managing partner. Reporting him to the authorities is an admission on my own guilt, but I am guessing he knew that.”

He ran a tired hand through his hair. “He did but Hardman has been a lesson about giving your enemies time to stew. Daniel laid in wait until the time was right and he pounced on both of us. We never even saw it coming. I will not make that mistake a second time.”

Jessica knew that Harvey was right. They had underestimated Daniel and that had been a crucial mistake. She was paying for her mistake tenfold. She shook her head. “I am not your enemy, Harvey. No matter how hurt or angry I feel in this moment I still love you. I know that hurting Mike Ross would hurt you. I see so much of our relationship in what you are developing with him. My lips are sealed. Besides, I won’t have time to focus on you and your boy wonder. I’ve got to figure out where I go from here.”

Harvey felt a sense of relief wash over him. He wanted Mike to be able to go out in the world and make his own way. He deserved to have a life where he wasn’t living a lie.

He said, “California could be a new start for you. You would not be in direct competition with our firm and we wouldn’t try to enforce the non-compete clause. Hardman is going down for his financial crimes. The evidence against him is overwhelming. I am willing to offer you a non-disclosure agreement. Specter, Cohen, and Litt will not divulge anything that happened here. You can distance yourself from this debacle, Jessica. I still love you, too.”

Jessica sighed and hugged Harvey tight. She groaned softly feeling tears slipping down her cheeks. It was so undignified.

He whispered against her hair. “Some time in the future we will look back on this day and I just want to be able to live with what I have done.”

She pulled back and smiled sadly seeing that his eyes were glassy from tears. Jessica reached out and caressed his cheek. “You did what you had to do. I would expect nothing less from you, Harvey. I would have done the same thing in your position and I probably would have shown a lot less mercy.”

Harvey said, “It is a matter of me being the man I know I can be. Donna is pregnant…I have a son or daughter on the way. I want to be a man he or she can look up to and respect.”

“I really am happy for your family, Harvey. You’re going to be a good father.” She laughed softly, “How did the vote turn out?"

Harvey said, "We knew that we had enough votes to win. We were courting senior partners while everyone was snowed in. Louis and Julian came to the Hamptons before the storm moved in. The vote came down to forty in favor and ten against. We won the vote handily.  That type of support will go a long way in the days to come."

"I can’t believe that you and Louis finally decided to work together. I would have never predicted that in a million years.”

She dried her eyes and then used her compact to reapply her makeup.

He shrugged. “Louis is a better lawyer than he gives himself credit for. He’s always trying to live up to me but he’s better at certain things than I am. He’s a great counterpart. I know you’ve always said that and I see it now. There was never another option for the third name partner. I was just waiting on Hardman to make him a senior partner.”

“It is a good strategy. Louis will be a great help in the days to come. You’re going to be under siege.”

Harvey said, “I know. That’s why I have senior partners doing face to face meetings with our top clients right now.”

Jessica smiled. “You always were a smart boy. Well, there’s no sense in staying here any longer. It’s time to pick up the pieces and I’m sure you have to do the same.”

He nodded. “I’ve got a meeting in an hour. I’ll walk down with you. Your boxes are already waiting for you in your car downstairs.”

“Thank you. Before I leave…I’d like to see it.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Jessica and Harvey left the rooftop and got onto the elevator. He pressed the button for his floor and reached over to give her hand a squeeze. Jessica had been a part of his life for such a long time. He didn’t know what it would look like without her now.

When the elevator doors opened, they stepped out and turned to look at the bare wall. Jessica and Daniel’s names were but a distant memory as the crew worked to install the new sign.

She said, “The end of an era.”

Harvey said, “And the beginning of a new one.”

 


	19. Outlaw Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning in the ending.

Michael and Rachel walked onto the elevator in Harvey’s building. They were attending a victory dinner in celebration of Harvey, Julian, and Louis’s successful takeover of Pearson Hardman. Tonight’s dinner was Harvey’s way of thanking everyone that played a role. Although, Mike was almost positive this was Donna’s idea. Harvey wasn’t really the type that liked people in his personal space. Mike was his associate and he could count on one hand the number of times Harvey extended a genuine invitation to his home.

The guest list to the party was fairly small. Harvey and Donna invited Mike, Rachel, Louis, Sheila, Julian, Maya, Lola, and Benjamin.

He glanced at the bottle of champagne he was holding. “I don’t know why we had to pick this up. Harvey and Donna are having this dinner catered by some trendy chef. I am sure they will have more champagne than any of us can drink. The probably ordered a case of something.”

Rachel frowned at him as she put her phone into her purse. “You bring a gift when you get invited to a function like this. Wine or champagne are customary as gifts for the host.”

Mike shook his head and glanced at the bottle of champagne. He knew his true reluctance was saying goodbye to the job he loved. Mike knew that resigning was the right decision but it still left him feeling a bit cold.

He fidgeted in the suit he was wearing. It wasn’t one of his normal suits. Rachel insisted they buy something new to celebrate Harvey, Louis, and Julian’s big night. Mike realized he was already falling prey to the relationship stereotypes. However, he did have to admit that he looked great in the suit Rachel chose for him.

When the elevator arrived at the floor, the young couple exited the car and knocked on Harvey’s door.

Harvey opened the door looking like he had just stepped off the cover of a men’s magazine. His hair was perfectly coiffed and he was wearing what had to be a bespoke suit judging by the way that it hung on his frame perfectly. “Hello. Come in. Donna has been waiting for the two of you.”

After seeing Harvey’s attire Mike was suddenly glad that he listened to Rachel about buying a new suit. He would have been wildly underdressed in what he initially wanted to wear. He blinked. “I’m sorry. Are we late?”

He chuckled. “No. Donna just wanted to have a little time alone with the two of you before the rest of the guests arrive. There hasn’t been time to talk in the last week.”

Specter, Cohen, and Litt was little more than a week old and had been thrust into survival mode and it was all hands on deck. Harvey was cracking the whip on the senior partners to ensure they were properly schmoozing and cajoling their clients. A few accounts fled the firm but more were waiting around to see if other firms could offer something better. It was their job to make sure they could not. That meant a lot of long nights for everyone.

Mike said, “Oh. Well, this is for you. I don’t know anything about champagne but Rachel said this is magnificent.”

Harvey raised his eyebrow at that.

Mike shrugged. “Those were her words, not mine. You know I’d be content with a six-pack of beer.”

The new managing partner chuckled and shook his head. “Plebian. Thank you, Rachel.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome, Harvey.”

Mike and Rachel followed Harvey into the living room where Donna was seated on the couch. Mike noted almost immediately that Donna’s belongings now occupied Harvey’s space. There was a warmer feel to the once sterile penthouse.

She stood up seeing them approach. “I am so glad the two of you made it. I was beginning to think you were going to try to be fashionably late.”

Rachel hugged Donna. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world. Our being late is my fault. I wasn’t feeling well this evening. Who knew morning sickness happened at night?”

Donna nodded in understanding and lightly rubbed Rachel’s back in support. She was feeling quite lucky that she wasn’t experiencing very much morning sickness. Harvey and the firm needed her to put her best foot forward. She was now the managing partner’s assistant which meant she was keeping later hours right along with Harvey. That wouldn’t be possible if she was spending half the day in the bathroom.

“Do you want anything to drink?” asked Donna. “We have some ginger ale if you need something to settle your stomach.”

Rachel said, “No, I feel better now. My anti-nausea medicine finally kicked in. I’ll have whatever you’re having…”

Donna nodded in understanding. Both women would be sticking to nonalcoholic beverages for the evening. She looked at Mike. “What about you?”

He said, “Uh, I’ll have a vodka tonic.”

Donna smiled and said, “Coming right up. Why don’t you give me hand, Rachel?”

Rachel said, “Of course. Besides, I want to hear all about moving into Harvey’s bachelor pad. Did you find porn?”

Donna’s eyes widened and her lips quirked into a mischievous smile. “Oh, you’d be surprised what I found. Come on.”

Harvey chuckled and shook his head. He wondered when his life would slow down enough that he could take a moment to enjoy the fact that he was married to that amazing woman.

Mike cleared his throat and asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

Harvey gave him a confused look and then smirked. “Who said I wanted to talk to you about anything, rookie?”

“Well, it doesn’t take two people to make a vodka tonic and what looks to be a sparkling cider,” said Mike, he picked up Donna’s glass and had a quick sniff just to confirm his theory.

The older man smirked. “I did want to talk you about something before the night got under way. I want you to know that you don’t have to worry about Jessica saying anything to anyone about your secret. I let her know in no uncertain terms that if she ever breathed a word about you to anyone I would use the evidence I have against her without a second thought.”

Mike shook his head as he returned Donna’s glass to the table. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders hearing that news. “Thank you for making sure that Jessica keeps my secret. It has been on my mind a lot this last week. In some ways, it is still like having a sword hanging over my head.”

“I know but Jessica believes in self-preservation. She knows that saying anything about you would be tantamount to destroying her own future as well.”

Mike asked, “Are you going to let her out of the non-compete clause in her contract?”

He shook his head. “No, Jessica is too formidable an opponent for me to be that benevolent to her. She would have no trouble stealing my clients out from under me. However, I told her if she moved to the West Coast I wouldn’t interfere.”

“Well, that was generous of you, Harvey,” said Mike, he had a proud smile on his face. Leading up to the takeover Harvey had been so filled with righteous rage that Mike worried he would destroy Jessica just because he could. He had never witnessed Harvey that way and it was a remarkable sight, but Mike thought some mercy was in order. Hardman started all of this. Jessica was just playing the hand she was dealt to the best of her ability.

“There is something else I wanted to say to you, Mike. I want to thank you for all the work you put into the takeover. You did it knowing you wouldn’t get to enjoy the spoils of war. You weren’t on the clock for Pearson Hardman so you didn’t even get paid for your work. Moreover, you quit your job to protect me and I appreciate that. I never even thought about Jessica using you against me. I had tunnel vision.”

Harvey didn’t need to say that it wasn’t just the takeover that Mike helped him with the past few months. When he began to lose himself to the despair of losing Donna, Mike stepped in to cover his ass. Mike had done that without question or complaint.

“You don’t need to thank me, Harvey. I was glad to help you. I helped because you’re the first person to give me a chance. I screwed up my life at Columbia. I ruined my chances and I thought I’d never be able to do the one thing that I loved. You changed all of that the day you hired me. It has been an amazing ride but that kind of secret has a definite shelf life. I was always living on borrowed time.”

Harvey smiled and said, “Don’t pretend that I haven’t benefited from my gamble. You are the best damn associate Pearson Hardman has ever seen with the exception of me and that’s with you never attending a single day of law school.”

Mike chuckled softly. He knew that was the highest form of praise coming from Harvey. “Well, thank you. I learned a lot from you and Louis. When I am finally a real boy I’ll be a better lawyer because of it.”

Harvey walked over to a bureau at the edge of the room and pulled out two slips of paper he returned and handed them to Mike.

The younger man took the slips of paper and studied them quickly and then his jaw dropped. “What is this? I don’t understand…”

He said, “The first check should cover the estimated cost of attendance for Oxford or Cambridge. You won’t have to worry about paying for tuition to attend. Before you say anything, you are going to accept the money because it is not charity. It is an investment for the future. When you finish law school there, I would like you to get your LLM at Harvard. That way you will be a Harvard educated lawyer and I can hire you again. That will be four or five years in the future so the statute of limitations would have ran out for the fraud.”

Mike shook his head unsure of what to say. This was beyond anything he could have expected. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it. Harvey was paying for his education and promising him a job at Specter, Cohen, and Litt when he graduated.

He swallowed thickly. “Thank you, Harvey. That sounds hollow and not nearly grand enough to match this gesture but it is heartfelt. You don’t know what this means to me.”

He said, “Yes, I do. There was a time when I was a screw up living paycheck-to-paycheck doing a job that was sorely beneath my capabilities. I don’t know where I would be if Jessica hadn’t recognized my potential and paid for my way at Harvard. I am taking a much smaller risk than she did because I know the type of lawyer you are, Mike. I know exactly what I am getting out of this deal.”

Mike continued to stare at the check but then realized he hadn’t examined the second slip of paper which he assumed as another check. He looked it over and asked, “What is this for?”

Harvey said, “You can think of it as severance or whatever. I don’t care. I just want to make sure that you have a good head start. You’re going to be going to law school and starting your life with Rachel.”

Mike shook his head. “Harvey…”

He said, “Take it. If you don’t take it I will be forced to get Donna to make you take it.”

The younger man laughed softly and shook his head. “Let’s not get Donna involved. I don’t know what to say. I already owe you so much. I’ll never be able to pay you back.”

“Sure you will. One day you will be working for me at Specter, Cohen, and Litt and you will be making me an ass load of money but more importantly, you’ll be making me proud. You are capable of anything you want in this world, Mike. Go make it happen. You’ve got no excuses.”

Donna and Rachel walked into the room on cue. The two women were teary eyed and smiling broadly. It was obvious they had been eavesdropping on Mike and Harvey’s conversation.

Rachel sidled up to Mike and kissed his cheek. “I am glad that you accepted Harvey’s generosity. Thank you, Harvey.”

Harvey laughed. “No one else is allowed to thank me. What is done is done. I don’t want to hear anymore about it.”

Mike smirked. “Are you worried that your heart is showing?”

“I don’t have a heart, rookie…”

Donna smirked and said, “I thought you were missing a brain, Scarecrow.”

Everyone got a good laugh at Donna’s joke except for Harvey.

“Hardy har har.”

Harvey looked up hearing a knock at the door. “I’ll get that. Looks like the guests are starting to arrive.”

Donna said, “Let me put hose away from you until the end of the night, Mike.”

“Oh, thank you, Donna.” He passed the checks over to her and watched as she put them back into the bureau.

Donna locked the bureau just to be safe.

Over the next twenty minutes, the rest of the guests arrived and the party got into full swing. Music played in the background and the drinks flowed freely. It was as much a celebration of making it the first week as it was for the takeover. There was a long road ahead but they were all optimistic.

Harvey couldn’t help but feel a little withdrawn from the celebration. As excited, as he was for this new journey he was disappointed that Mike wasn’t going to be with him. He had to admit the kid made a pretty damn good Robin to his Batman. However, seeing Mike dance with Rachel made him realize his resignation was as much about the life he wanted to build with her.

Donna walked over and leaned her head on his shoulder. She said, “He’ll come back, Harvey.”

He nodded and said, “I know he will.”

“You could tell him you’re going to miss him.”

He scoffed. “That isn’t going to happen.”

Donna smirked and asked, “You aren’t going to miss him or you aren’t going to tell him you will miss him?”

Harvey rolled his eyes but smiled as Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon began to play. He said, “I don’t believe we’ve danced as husband and wife. We should fix that.”

Donna laughed softly and took Harvey’s hand as he walked out into the middle of the floor.

He pulled Donna to him and started to slowly sway to the music. He looked over Donna’s shoulder and smiled seeing Mike and Rachel dancing as well.

Mike smiled back at Harvey and realized for the first time that he still had a family. He chuckled to himself.

Rachel asked, “What’s so funny?”

Mike’s eyes glinted as he looked at her. “Life…”

The End

 

 


End file.
